Carl Seldin Koerner is the newest member of the Queens Library Board of Trustees. Photo courtesy Queens Borough President’s Office
The Queens Library’s 19-member Board of Trustees just received its first appointee under Borough President Melinda Katz.
Katz tapped Carl Seldin Koerner to help oversee the library system’s strategy and operations. He will replace Lillian Gavin, who stepped down from the board last month for personal reasons.
Koerner’s appointment came at a turbulent time for library, after several weeks of media reports scrutinizing library CEO Thomas Galante for earning a nearly $400,000 salary while overseeing the widespread outsourcing of union custodial jobs. Gavin’s departure, however, was not related to the recent controversies at the Queens Library, a spokesman for Katz said.
Galante and Board of Trustees Chairman Gabriel Taussig defended the CEO’s contract, arguing it was set at a mid-range level when compared to similar nonprofits. The board also hired an outside consultant last month to mull over the most appropriate compensation package.
Koerner has worked as counsel at the law firm White and Williams, LLP, and partner at Koerner Kronenfeld Partners, LLC, before his appointment to the library board. Throughout his 35-year career, he was often called on to advise entrepreneurs and clients on different issues, such as corporate governance and regulatory compliance, Katz said.
“His extensive experience in compliance and corporate governance issues, coupled with his service as an officer and director on both for profit and non-profit boards, make him an excellent addition to the board,” Katz said in a statement. “He will ask the tough questions and work to make Queens Library as transparent and effective as possible.”
Koerner has previous experience working in strategic planning as an advisor to various business leaders, financial institutions, nonprofits and government entities, which Katz said would be pivotal to his role with the library. He has also previously served as an officer and director of publicly traded and privately owned businesses and of charitable and community organizations.
“As a native New Yorker, I know how important libraries are for families across our city, and I’m honored to now be in a position to help make them work even better for Queens” said Koerner, who also serves on the board of the Forest Hills Jewish Center. “I’m grateful to Borough President Katz for this opportunity, and will work around the clock to deliver for our borough.”
As a lifelong Queens resident, Koerner attended Union College and Brooklyn Law School and grew up in Rockaway Beach before moving to Forest Hills with his wife, Candice. He since went on to have three children and five grandchildren.
Katz has been aggressive in her pursuit of transparency at the Queens Library since Galante’s lofty salary and questionable business practices went under the microscope last month. The borough president most recently called on Mayor Bill de Blasio to seize all control over the library’s construction and contracting power until a full-fledged investigation into the system was completed.
The library received more than $144 million through various city discretionary budgets, including the offices of the mayor, City Council and borough president, and Katz argued a lack of oversight and understanding of funds left the library vulnerable.
By Phil Corso
