3 Residents Vying for Bayport-Blue Point Library Board Seat

Voters in Bayport-Blue Point will go to the polls Wednesday to elect a new member to the Bayport-Blue Point Library Board of Trustees.

Three residents are vying for the seat being vacated by Stephen Kelly who has decided to not run for re-election to the five-year position after fulfilling an unexpired trustee term since April 2009. There are seven members on the board.

In a letter provided to the library regarding his candidacy, Blue Point resident Murray Schwartz said he has been a resident for 65 years and wants to be on the board to “continue making our library an important and productive element for the  quality of life in our community.”

The 82-year-old had a long career in industrial electronics and computer development.

“I feel that libraries give us an opportunity to broaden our children's awareness of the physical world and the responsibility we all have to preserve it for the generations to come,” he wrote in his letter.

He said he would like to see some of the children's activities incorporate science and mathematical themes in balance with art and literature.

"In this day and age I think this is an important objective in that the ability for our country to continue to hold a key place in the global marketplace depends critically upon capabilities in high technology and product innovation based on the sciences.”

Elaine Hill, a 20-year Bayport resident, has a B. A. in social ccience and is currently attending Stony Brook University at the Osher Life Learning institute (OLLI) program. She wrote in her candidate letter that books have been a lifelong passion.

“I am so grateful to the Bayport Blue Point Library and for all the services it provides. I avail myself of these services on a regular basis, as any member of their welcoming staff will easily attest to,” she stated in her bio statement.

“Because the library has been such a gift to me, I would consider it a privilege to serve as a library board trustee,” she added.

Lifelong Blue Point resident Kimberly Matthews McAward stated in her letter that she is running for election “because I love our library and recognize it as an invaluable resource and treasure in our community. It would be a privilege to be a part of this.”

She said her two young children, who attend Blue Point Elementary School, use the library nearly every weekday after school.

“They participate in many of the programs for children, from origami and book discussions to reading with the reading dogs. I hope to foster my love of the library in them,” said Matthews McAward who holds a B.A. in history and a MBA from Dowling College, and a Master of Library Science degree from Long Island University-CW Post.

She has worked at Grumman Aerospace/Northrop in the contracts department, writing proposals for the E-2C aircraft, and has served as a Brownie Troop leader for the past four years and is active in her church.

“I believe I would be an asset to the board. I spend quite a lot time at the library, particularly with my kids, and this gives me the opportunity to observe how people use the library. I would see to it that the library provides the best possible service to the community,” she wrote in her bio statement.

Voters will cast ballots Wednesday, from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the library on Blue Point Avenue.