hello i am gail mann candidate for election as a trustee of the bellman public library i have been on the board of trustees since two thousand and fourteen and have served as secretary of the board since two thousand  it has been my pleasure to serve with my fellow trustees and with peter choosey arrow the library director and his predecessor i moved to belmont with my husband stephen klee on ski and nine hundred seventy eight when i graduated from georgetown law school to join a major boston law firm our two children sarah and daniel went through the belmont public schools we have been bought part of this community for thirty eight years and are proud to call belmont home over the years i have served as treasurer of the church generally middle school p t o and the belmont high school o and i served on the board of the belmont foundation for education i have been a practicing attorney for thirty eight years first with a law firm and then with major corporations i retired this month after a fulfilling and successful career i look forward to having even more time for public service for family including my two wonderful grandchildren and for pursuing personal interests there are many traits our voters look for in their elected officials i think an important one is passion and i have been passionate about all that i do including my passion for reading and libraries which started when i was growing up in new york city i have fond memories of the children's librarian in our local library who greeted my mother and me each week and help us select books for the coming week our library is a resource to be treasured a safe and welcoming place for reading learning and quiet reflection our library offers a broad range of programs that enrich our lives the library is unique in that it serves patrons of all ages and backgrounds the trustees worked diligently with the library director and staff and with the help of our generous friends organization and many volunteers the library provides quality programs and services to patrons our statistics demonstrate the success of our efforts with increased usage and program attendance belmont has the eleventh best direct circulation in massachusetts sixty four percent of our residents have library cards there is much focus in town about the building and whether in when we might have a new library we all want the best possible facility as a trustee i must and will continue to be an advocate for the library both in terms of programs and services and the physical plant we must continue to maintain and improve the current facility within available budgets as we have been doing and will continue to do unfortunately the library is over fifty years old and we are faced with expensive maintenance and systems at or approaching end of life the facility was not built to accommodate the service is integral to our digital age the recently completed feasibility study provides useful updated information to the trustees and the town on options for the facility at the current site and cost estimates for each option but i also understand the concerns of taxpayers and the competing capital needs faced by belmont as trustee i commit to work with all stakeholders and explore all possible sources of funding both public and private to realize the community's dream for a modern building that will be a place where all belmonte ans will want to come to experience and participate in quality library programs and services in the coming decades why should belmont voters support me i am committed to belmont thirty eight years and counting and as i said i am passionate about libraries i have proven success in my professional career i am a person of high integrity i am a pragmatic and compassionate leader and i am very hard working with attention to detail and with excellent communication skills i understand the importance of listening to different points of view before reaching a conclusion or rushing to judgment and i commit to working collaborative i ask for your vote are they proof forth if i am elected for a second term i assure you that i will continue to use my passion skills and experience to support and improve the belmont public library thank you very much