MAYA L. GANGULY

candidate for 2025 OAK PARK LIBRARY board

1. What motivates you to seek this office? What skills do you bring to the office? What sets you apart from other candidates? What does success look like for you after four years in the position?

I love our Library!  It is a wonderful institution with great staff and volunteers, and I’m honored to serve as a member of the Board.

 For the majority of my legal career, I have been privileged to work for the public. As Head of Procurement at IDES and Assistant General Counsel for the Office of the Illinois State Treasurer, I was committed to being a thoughtful and careful steward of public trust and public funds.  These roles included acting as a FOIA Officer and drafting legislation. To me, Illinois Open Meetings and Freedom of Information Acts are paramount to ensuring transparency in the mechanisms of government.  Without it, I believe the public can’t be assured their politicians will act in their best interests.

 To be clear, I have only been Library Trustee for 2 years.  In those years, I have learned that resolving issues is not an insular role; the board works collaboratively even when we disagree.  Success means working through those difficult times with composure and in a reasonable fashion.  What has been my north star is addressing these difficult situations directly, with a focus on what serves the Library best.

2. What do you see as the three biggest challenges or opportunities facing the Library  and what role do you see the Board playing to address them over the next four years?

Two key opportunities I think need be addressed are:

  1. Keeping our library a protected space for intellectual and diverse voices and opinions- We have seen in the last couple of years attacks on libraries and their intellectual freedoms.  As a current trustee I am committed to keeping diversity at the forefront of our space.  Regardless of who holds power nationally, state, or locally- the library needs to be a safe place for all people.

  2. Evolving our technological advancements for the modern age- 20 years ago, the idea that you could check a book out on your phone was a pipe dream.  That you could watch entire movies on your computer or television without going to the library was in its infancy.  Now, my children are completely comfortable with this, and how they interact with the children’s section is very different than how I did as a child.

I believe that the board should begin a thoughtful, strategic approach to handling these issues, which is dependent on the voters selection of trustees that want to continue having a Library that is vibrant, intellectual, accessible, and safe for all people.

3. What is your decision making process? What are steps the Board can take to ensure transparency, clear communication, and community engagement to ensure the Board is hearing from the full range of the Library’s constituents?.

When making decisions, I am deliberate.  I look for the evidence to support claims.  I research.  I consult with people who specialize in the field I want to know.  I consult with all stakeholders.  I believe the Library Board should do likewise, including not just the community, but library staff and experts as well.

4. Please share your thoughts about the Library’s current financial picture.What’s your understanding of the Board role in the budgeting process and the allocation of resources? Do you have organizational finance experience?

In my prior jobs as Head of Procurement at IDES and Assistant Counsel I dealt directly with budgeting of limited state financial resources.  That makes me uniquely capable of careful review of budgets in my capacity as Library Trustee.  My role, however, is not to micromanage the expertise of the library staff, but research and question the budget proposed in order to gain an understanding of why items appear on it. 

 This year, the library passed a balanced budget due to the educated, qualified staff, who created the proposal.  My fellow Board members and I reviewed it, commented, and approved it.  This was the first time in a few years, the Library had a balanced budget.

5. What would you say to voters who are worried about Oak Park’s overall tax burden?

The library budget represents less than five percent (5%) of an Oak Parker’s property tax bill.  While every dollar certainly counts, the library represents a moderate and well managed expenditure for an institution that is a cornerstone of our community. 

6. How do you define equity? Have recent discussions in the larger community and or at the national level informed or changed your thinking? 

I don’t believe I can adequately define equity, but I can say that the Library as an institution, and myself as part of that institution can strive to treat every person who comes to the library with respect as an individual, and we shall strive to meet each community member where they are.

7. What do you see as the role of the Library in responding to the ever-changing ways in which people find and consume information? 

As I stated before, the library needs to evolve with the needs of the public to stay relevant in the future.  After all it’s a public space, paid for by the public.  I do, however, support a physical library space accessible to the public’s needs.

Besides, my eleven-year-old son told me that if I don’t support the “old fashioned” experience of getting books from the library he will be very upset.

8. In recent years, the Library has replaced security guards with social workers, increased salaries for its lower-waged workers, and eliminated late fees for borrowers. Please share your thoughts about these initiatives. Are there ways in which you would anticipate expanding or rolling back this work?  

I would not support rolling back any of these changes. These important and positive changes have kept the library a safe and welcoming place, and made it possible to connect patrons with mental health and financial assistance.  In addition, we have partnered with the Oak Park Homeless Coalition and the Oak Park Public Health Department on the Opioid Overdose Prevention Project. 

9. What approach should the Library take towards intergovernmental cooperation initiatives such as the Collaboration for Early Childhood? Are there other specific initiatives that you would like to implement or expand upon? 

Intergovernmental initiatives are fantastic ways to implement groundbreaking programs, while limiting use of public resources.  The Collaboration for Early Childhood Development is the gold standard for the state and the nation.  In a manner similar to the opioid overdose kits that are available at the library, another partnership could be treating gun safety as a public health issue and offering free gun safety locks to be available at the library.   Though Project ChildSafe aims to make these locks available at police stations, it is important to acknowledge that for some, the library is likely a space that they are more comfortable entering than a police station.   

10. What approach should the Library take towards intermunicipal cooperation with neighboring communities? Are there specific initiatives that you would like to implement or expand upon?

Like intergovernmental initiatives, intermunicipal cooperation with neighboring communities is a great way to limit replication of work and be careful stewards of public resources.  I have personally benefited borrowing books via interlibrary loans accessed through the Oak Park Library System.  For a library, pooling resources to ensure maximum access to information is fantastic.

11. How do you see services and supports for homeless patrons fitting within the mission of the Library?

Everyone – homeless or otherwise – should feel welcome and respected at the library.  However, the constellation of housing, employment, mental health, and medical services to support homeless persons are generally not within the scope or ability of the library. 

12. How should the Library handle the question around the removal of books, subscriptions, and materials from the shelves if community members deem the content to be inappropriate, too controversial or objectionable? 

It is my understanding that for at least the past 28 years, the Oak Park Library board has not engaged in any book banning.   I’d like to continue this tradition.  I fully support the right of people who are offended by specific books to not check them out.

13. Knowing that the Board cannot share certain information related to employment matters, what measures do you believe are needed to restore confidence in the Board and the executive level management in the wake of the controversy around the executive director last year? 

At the end of the day, the community needs an Executive director who is committed to open and honest communication with our staff, community members and groups, and the board.  I wish Joslyn well.  It was a hard decision not just for her, but the board, the library, and the community, but it was the best decision for the Library. 

14. The Library Board’s primary responsibility is oversight of the Executive Director. What criteria do you believe the Board should use to evaluate the performance of the Executive Director?

In addition to oversight of the Executive Director, the board is responsible for approving the yearly budget, setting strategic long-term goals, and approving policies to support those goals. 

The executive director’s position is dependent on the needs of the library, and their description can change, accordingly.  The Board should continue to set clear expectations for any Executive Director based on the job description that he or she possesses, this ensures that all parties are aligned.

15. Last November, Oak Park voters overwhelmingly approved a ballot initiative that proposed that voters be able to approve ordinances and policies through a direct vote. At this point, the vote on the ballot initiative was advisory or non-binding. The next step is for the Village or any other taxing body in Oak Park (as reported by the Wednesday Journal November 7, 2024) to decide whether or not to place the issue on the ballot as a binding referendum. Please share your views on this initiative. 

While it is wonderful that so many Oak Park residents want to have a direct hand in governing, one should ask, is it practical?  Does the average person have time to devote to the many meetings, sub-meetings, and emergency meetings required to keep things going?   Are they willing to mediate between different groups of people for hours, sometimes days in order to come to a fair agreement?  And then do it all over again for the next policy?  At the library trustee meetings, the Board often reviews two to three policies per meeting, to do an election for each policy review would be expensive and time-consuming.     

Voters still have an enormous amount of power by voting for the people they think can do what they want them to do in office.  The people they vote for are accountable to the voters, and can work in their best interest.  I don't think we can improve on that system by adding more people.  However, I pledge to work in any system Oak Parkers find necessary.

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