New York City: Comptroller Scott Stringer To Audit NYC’s Three Library Systems (Roundup)

From CBS News York:

New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer‘s office is auditing the Big Apple’s three library systems after a newspaper report suggested the Queens system might have been wasteful with taxpayer dollars.

According to the New York Daily News, Thomas Galante, president of the Queens Borough Public Library, spent $140,000 last year to renovate his office, including $27,000 on a rooftop deck he uses for smoke breaks. Galante also receives a $391,594 salary and a car allowance of $37,000, the newspaper reported.

From the NYC Comptroller’s Office Formal Announcement:

Our public libraries are vital resources for New Yorkers and taxpayers deserve to know that public money is being used appropriately,” Stringer said. “My auditors will assess whether the spending practices of our library systems follow applicable rules and prudent business practices. We want our libraries to maximize the value of the public funds they receive while finding ways that they can be more efficient and effective from top to bottom.”

The planned audits will examine a broad range of fiscal controls at the Queens Borough Public Library, New York Public Library (which serves Manhattan, The Bronx and Staten Island), and the Brooklyn Public Library including scrutiny of spending practices, executive pay and compensation. Auditors will also look at funding of capital improvements, the use of city tax levy funds as well as the oversight role of the library systems’ individual boards of trustees.

From the Queens Borough Public Library Blog: “A Message to Library Customers and Staff” (January 27, 2013)

Queens Library would like to take this opportunity to update our library customers and staff on facts concerning the renovations at Central Library, and the compensation of our President and CEO. Queens Library is one of the most highly used and valuable resources in Queens, and we take our responsibility to provide world-class, life-changing library services very seriously.

Read the Complete Blog Post

New York Daily News Coverage

Here are reports from NY Daily News beginning with the first story about Thomas Galante/Queens Borough Public Library published on Monday, January 27, 2014:

• Queens Library president gets $390G salary, luxe office makeover while shedding 130 jobs (January 27, 2014)

• Thomas Galante, Queens Library CEO, calls $392,000 pay ‘average’ (January 28, 2014)

• City Council To Probe Lavish Spending By Queens Public Library President (January 28, 2014)

• City Councilman Jimmy Van Bramer explodes at colleagues (January 29, 2014)

• UPDATE Feb 5, 2014: Queens Library chief spends $140G on office remodeling while two branches in the Rockaways remain closed, unfixed post-Sandy