West End Resident Vies for Library Trustee Seat

Story by Chris Engelhardt

When West End resident Diane Parr learned last month that the West End Library branch wouldn’t be restocked because its contents were lost due to Hurricane Sandy, Parr said she and her many neighbors were disheartened by the decision.

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Parr has decided to run for a seat on the Long Beach Public Library Board of Trustees, not only to try to save the West End branch, but to also represent her neighborhood. Parr will challenge Alan Greenberg for his seat. The trustee vote for a five-year term and the library budget vote is May 21.

A Bronx native, Parr, 72, and her husband, Ken, have had a bungalow vacation home on California Street since the 1960s, and moved into it full time in June 2011. Parr is a former tax preparer for H&R Block and a former vice president who managed a technology team supporting the Chase Insurance Group within JPMorgan Chase. She is a member of the West End Neighbors Civic Association and St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Church, and has two children, Michael, a Canals resident, and Brian, who lives in Connecticut.

Though Parr has not run for any board or office before, she said that she decided to run for a seat on the library board after the body’s March 27 meeting, when the trustees adopted the proposed 2013-14 budget — a $3.4 million spending plan that is $27,193 — or .008 percent — higher than the current budget. At that meeting it was announced that the West End branch would not reopen. Library officials are trying to decide how to utilize the space on West Beech Street.    

“I have always loved and supported the library,” Parr said. “Many of the older people were upset by this. It’s hard for them to go to the main branch. I understand circulation was down, but I would love to keep the West End library open. I don’t think it should be a stepchild of the town.”

She and her neighbors use the facility, whether for books, DVDs, or reference materials, and she believes the branch serves as a beacon for the neighborhood. “The end of town is so devastated,” she said of the West End. “I think it would be a big boost to spirits. I thought, ‘You’re paying rent for that building. It’s a waste of our money if you’re not using it.’”

While her campaign’s primary purpose is to preserve the branch, she also stressed that another goal is to serve on the board as a voice for the West End. “There’s no one on the library board from the West End; there’s no representation,” she said. “I’m retired. I want to do something for my community. Shame on us. It’s our town — we need to be involved.”

Parr would also like to promote the use of the Long Beach Library’s databases and services, so that resident more ways to utilize its resources, and she wants to develop a stronger rapport between the library and community at large.

“I thought maybe we can have more classes on databases, more education about what the library can offer people,” she said. “You’re paying for these things, people should know how to use them. You’d want to get the most value for taxpayer’s dollar.”

As the May election approaches, Parr hopes to be able to garner support from the community and to represent residents as a trustee however she can.

“We should have a diverse group of people on the board,” she said. “A different point of view, new, different ideas, on the board might help. I would hope that I could contribute.”  

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