Lawmakers passed sweeping reforms after reports showed Queens Library CEO Thomas Galante (r.) was earning a six-figure salary while the system laid off employees and signed off on expansive reconstruction plans.
File Photo
After months of debate, the state gave the go-ahead to sweeping reforms at the Queens Library – specifically changing how its board of trustees operates.
Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the bill into law last Thursday one week after the state Legislature approved the reforms – much earlier than lawmakers initially anticipated. Queens officials helped craft the legislation in an attempt to alleviate transparency issues after library CEO Thomas Galante’s lofty salary made headlines earlier this year.
News reports exposed Galante to have earned a roughly $400,000 salary while jobs were being outsourced and expensive construction projects were put into motion. State Sen. Mike Gianaris (D-Astoria) first introduced the legislation back in April with help from Queens Borough President Melinda Katz, who has been a harsh critic of Galante over recent months.
With Cuomo’s approval, the library must now file financial disclosure forms, put limits on outside employment and require an annual budget hearing along with a 30-day public comment period before it is adopted, lawmakers said.
Katz, along with other lawmakers, called on the CEO to take a temporary leave of absence out of fear that the city would cut funding to the library if he was still in charge. She applauded the mayor and state Legislature for moving the new reforms through so quickly as a means to prevent any future steps the library’s board of trustees might take to protect Galante’s salary.
“This new law will now dramatically improve the governance and oversight of the Queens Library, which is 85 percent funded by taxpayer dollars,” Katz said. “It will also help guarantee that the library continues to be a quality provider of educational, cultural and enrichment services to our borough’s 2.3 million residents.”
The city’s Department of Investigation and FBI delved into the Queens Library’s financial and governance practices, focusing on library trustees’ refusal to open the library’s financial records to City Comptroller Scott Stringer’s office as well as troubling expenditures by Galante, including a reported $27,000 private smoking deck.
Lawmakers have since kept a keen eye on Galante and the board, with the latest set of reforms marking the first official check in place from the state Legislature.
“I applaud the state legislature for successfully bringing more accountability and transparency to the Queens Public Library,” said Councilwoman Elizabeth Crowley (D-Middle Village), in a statement. “With this reform bill, we will help ensure our tax dollars are being spent properly and give the public access to information they deserve to know.”
By Phil Corso
