Library board removes trustee for alleged misconduct

By Nathan Mayberg
CHESTER — The Chester town board spent tens of thousands of dollars to investigate a trustee of its library board, which led to the trustee's removal over alleged misconduct.

Mary Langton, a volunteer library board member and former English teacher, said she was removed by the library board without being told why. She believes she was being punished for questioning the library director's spending.

Langton said she met with town Supervisor Alex Jamieson in July, when he read allegations from the investigative report aloud to her and then demanded her resignation.

Jamieson told The Chronicle that the town had "nothing to do with that." He acknowledged that the town board hired the law firm, and that he had met with Langton to discuss the report.

"I met with her and explained to her what the outcome was," Jamieson said.

He denied asking for her resignation. He declined to provide a copy of the report.

According to documents provided to The Chronicle and confirmed by Jamieson, the town paid $23,355 to the Rockland County firm of Greenwald Doherty LLP to investigate Langton. Attorney Devora Lindemann conducted the investigation.

Jamieson said the town attorney recommended investigating Langton after library director Mauren Jagos complained about her.

"We had nothing to do with the removal," Jamieson said. He said it was the library board's decision.

Call for an audit
Langton said she called for an audit of the library's finances following a request by Jagos to buy two children's computers at a cost of $6,000 and a service plan that cost more than $5,000. Langton said the costs seemed high, since she had just bought a computer of her own for $350.

"That seemed like a lot for two computers," she said.

She also questioned the appropriateness of the library donating $1,000 to a nonprofit organization tasked with raising funds for the library. In addition, she asked Jagos in writing about the purchase of a $200 time clock.

"I had expressed concerns about what appeared to be financial irregularities," Langton said.

Jagos could not be reached for comment.

Langston said she first called for the audit in 2013, after the computer purchase. She repeated the audit request in writing this year while the investigation was ongoing.

None of the board members went along with her audit request, Langton said.

Jamieson said he and the town board weren't notified of her audit request. He said the library has been audited for years.According to Langton, Jagos complained to the town that Langton accused her of stealing. Langton denied the allegation.

Jamieson said the town has a "responsibility" to town employees to investigate such complaints.

"We received a letter from an employee," Jamieson said. "We can't ignore the law."

Langton requested a copy of Lindemann's report but was denied in an Oct. 16 letter from town clerk Linda Zappala, who claimed the report was not subject to Freedom of Information Law. Jamieson said Wednesday that the report was not public, and that Lindemann gave the report to the library board in executive session. There is attorney/client privelege involved, he said.

The library board met on Aug. 12 in executive session to discuss Langton's removal as trustee. The board members had requested that Langton meet with the board privately. Jamieson was present at the meeting, according to the library's minutes.

Board president Teresa Mallon had written to Langton eleven days earlier to notify her that such action would occur due to alleged "misconduct." The letter did not specify the nature of the misconduct.

At the meeting, Langton appeared with her lawyer and asked to meet with the board in executive session with her attorney present. She said Mallon told her that the attorney could not sit in. Langton said that violated her rights under New York State Education Law, which requires that a hearing be held to remove her.

After the executive session, board members Mallon, Sue Elter, Joanna Janik and Naomi Sagiv voted to remove Langton from the board. Langton provided the lone dissenting vote.

Mallon did not respond to a message seeking comment.

Langton said she is pursuing a civil case against the town for her treatment.

"I owe a debt to public libraries that I can never repay," Langton said. "I certainly never dreamed that upholding my oath would cause all of this to happen to me."