Contest for 3 Seats on Palos Verdes Peninsula Library District Board

The race for three seats on the Palos Verdes Peninsula Library District board has attracted five candidates, including two incumbents. The winners will immediately face the task of overseeing the multimillion-dollar reconstruction and expansion of the district’s central library. Last June, the district’s voters overwhelmingly approved a $16-million bond issue for the project, which is expected to take three years to complete. The new board must not only approve expansion plans, but come up with ways to keep the existing facility open and operating during the construction, officials said.

William R. Glanz

Incumbent

Age: 48

Rancho Palos Verdes, accountant

“A primary function of the library district trustees is to ensure that the lines of communication are maintained with other peninsula jurisdictions. . . . There exist common areas of concern, such as parking, traffic administration and planning for community events.”

Robert E. Goyette

Challenger

Age: 63

Rolling Hills Estates, retired physician

“The library is an integral part of peninsula life, an adjunct to the schools, a meeting place for the community and a source of recreation and enrichment for all ages.”

Robert A. Rowe

Incumbent

Age: 69

Rancho Palos Verdes, retired Navy officer

“I strongly support the (district’s) adoption of the American Library Assn. Bill of Rights and Intellectual Freedom. . . . There is no place in our community for efforts to coerce the taste of others to confine the reading matter we deem suitable.”

Bryan W. Stevens

Challenger

Age: 70

Rolling Hills Estates, retired teacher

“The biggest job will be overseeing the expansion . . . while we continue to serve the kids and the adults in the community. We got the (bonds) passed and I want to help get the addition built.”

Christopher J. Tara

Challenger

Age: 37

Rolling Hills Estates, investment securities consultant

“The library is a community service organization and as such must be responsive to the needs of the community. . . . The library should always be governed by the First Amendment freedoms.”