Doug Sullivan

On the Record

What experiences do you have that make you a good candidate for office?

I have served on the Board of Trustees of the Batavia Public Library District for eight years, and I am proud of the way our organization has managed its resources wisely and remained on solid financial footing. For the past two years, I have served as the Board’s President. Furthermore, I have more than a decade of work experience in the public sector, and have strong relationships with most of the area’s elected officials.

What are your top two or three priorities if elected?

Fiscal responsibility is my top priority. The Board has done well with this task and I seek to continue that positive work. My next priority is to continue hosting community education events. The New Lyceum Lecture Series has brought many interesting and nationally renowned speakers to the Library. My final priority is to respond to the community’s ever-evolving needs. The Board seeks to get input on community needs with an upcoming survey of district residents.

Would you support freezing your taxing district’s levy until housing prices rebound? Why or why not?

The Batavia Library has essentially already done so. The Board made a strategic decision in 2010 to refinance our bonds, leading to an abatement of $459,517 over the years 2010-12—giving Batavia homeowners a well-deserved tax break during the economic downturn. The property taxes I’ve personally paid to the Batavia Library over the past two years are each below 2005 levels.

What one decision by the library board do you most disagree with and why?

Several years ago, the Board bowed to public pressure by voting to move a web link on its website from the “teens” section to the “adult” section. I voted no on this issue because the website (to which the Library’s web page linked) was geared towards teenagers.

What was the biggest accomplishment of the board in the past year?

The Board successfully served an increasing number of patrons without a tax increase. The fiscal year which ended in 2012 saw 5% more visitors to Batavia Library than the previous year, and those patrons checked out 3% more items last year than the year before. Yet, the Library board has been very sensitive to our responsibility to taxpayers and have practiced sound financial management. We performed this increased level of service to patrons with only a small increase in the operating budget and a total tax burden that is less than 2005 levels.

Why should voters elect you to office?

During my eight years of service to the Batavia Library, the organization has managed its resources wisely and remained on solid financial footing. We have been able to handle tremendous growth in traffic and usage over that period with only small budget increases. The Library Board is cognizant of the burden that property taxes place on Batavians, so we did our part to keep the Library’s levy as low as possible. Most recently, the board refinanced its bonds to “abate” (return to taxpayers) a total of $459,517 over the years 2010-12. The Library also continues to save money for large capital projects, and is now undertaking a master plan to determine what maintenance projects are needed and how much they will cost. My love of learning, combined with a dedication to public service, has instilled in me a desire to serve the residents of Batavia through our Library, and I believe my years of positive service to the Board has earned me another term.