Deborah J Pearson, Candidate For Evergreen Park Public Library Board

EVERGREEN PARK, IL — Deborah Pearson is running for another term on the Evergreen Park Public Library Board of Trustees. She is one of five candidates running for four seats in this race.

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The consolidated election is April 4.

Read Pearson's questions to the Patch candidate survey.

Name: Deborah J Pearson

Age (as of Election Day): not available

Town/City of Residence: Evergreen Park

Office Sought: Evergreen Park Public Library Trustee

Family: Single

Does anyone in your family work in politics or government? No

Occupation: Insurance Broker

Campaign website or Facebook or other social media: n/a

Previous or current elected or appointed office:

• Evergreen Park Public Library Trustee, serving as Secretary, Treasurer and Vice President, 18 years
• Illinois State BPW, Serving as Secretary and Vice President, 12 years
• Stratford Green Board of Directors, serving as Secretary, Treasurer, Vice President and President, 17 years

The most pressing issues facing the library are _______, and this is what I intend to do about them.

I believe that the most pressing issue facing the library is to not only maintain, but grow, our library collection and services to meet the needs of our community within the confines of shrinking resources.

Thankfully, we have a Mayor and Village Board that understand and appreciate the value of our library resources to the community and have been open to exploring ways to increase our funding from a tax allocation perspective. Additionally, our Library Director and staff have been creative and successful in securing various grant opportunities. Last but not least, it is the responsibility of the Board of Trustees to work closely with our Director to maximize and prioritize our resources to operate today and reserve for the future through budgetary and spending procedures.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?
I have been honored to be elected and serve in various positions within multiple non profit boards in many capacities for decades. This experience has allowed me the opportunity to hone my negotiating, contract and problem solving skills to a higher level, bringing greater efficiencies and knowledge to the positions and offices I currently hold.

If you are a challenger, in what way has the current board or officeholder failed the community or district? N/A

How would you help raise awareness about library services, collections and programs
Public education and awareness is a critical, ongoing initiative through multiple channels by our entire Library Board and staff. We utilize channels that connect with all demographics from our community, crossing Age, Gender and Cultural lines.

Some examples are the fantastic job that Jenna Harte Wisnewski, Mary Black, Ana and staff have done with our Library Tik ToK videos garnering hundreds of thousands of “likes” and over 10,000 followers. Other social media we employ includes Facebook, Pintrest and Twitter. Our website, e-newsletters: Adult and Teen as well as quarterly mailed newsletter touch residents on an ongoing and consistent basis informing them on the plethora of programming available.

Our Director, Staff, and Trustees regularly attend and build relationships with community partners such as: The EP Chamber of Commerce, EP High School and Grammar Schools as well as churches and hospitals. What areas of the library collection would you like to see expanded?

The Library collection is quite extensive with over 65,000 titles on our shelves, countless ebooks, audiovisual and database subscriptions for in house and remote access.

Now that we are resuming more in person activities, I would like to see us increase our cultural and travel excursions.

Are there any specific areas of the library collection that you like to use? What are they?

I use many of them but being involved in an EP book club for over 20 years has allowed me to enjoy and appreciate our group book reserve and “Ask a Librarian” services.

Do you think the current board has done enough to support inclusivity for all community members, and if not, what specifically should be done to do so?Community inclusivity is an important part of our discussions and planning as Library Trustees with the help of our talented Library team. Something I am extremely proud of, which is in conjunction with our efforts to increase funding and grant opportunities, is the recent American Library Association Will Eisner Grant award won by our very own Jenna Harte-Wiesnewski and Mary Black. This prestigious library grant award was for: “Growing Multi-Cultural Awareness” through visual literature incorporating authors from diverse backgrounds to create and foster greater cultural awareness in our community.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

I pledge to continue to give back to our community through service as a faithful and dedicated steward of our Library resources.

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

During my years serving as an EP Library Trustee, I have to say that it is a more “WE’’ than “I” answer because it truly are group accomplishments but two areas that I am most proud of, and to which I was a definitive lead, was the Library Adult reading space with fireplace and ceiling to floor glass overlooking the outdoor greenery and the art initiative which includes the bronze artistry at the entry to our building.

I think that these accomplishments, in addition to prudent fiscal overseeing, serve as solid examples that I hold dear not only our collection but the warm, inviting, welcoming and stimulating environment that houses it.

Why should voters trust you? Trust is something that is earned and through my decades of service and the accomplishments gained during my service, I believe that I have earned the trust of my community to continue to serve in this capacity.

If you win this position, what accomplishment would make your term in office a success?

Continuing to source, secure, supervise and direct the funding available to make possible the development of our team of talent at the library to better serve our community is the best reward.

What are your views on fiscal policy, government spending and the handling of taxpayer dollars in the office you are seeking?

The role of fiscal responsibility is critical to the process of operating and sustaining our viability.
Evergreen Park is a Village, and thus has a different funding methodology from other municipal entities, relating to our Library tax revenue. This creates unique challenges and advantages for appropriate Library funding. Challenges and advantages that with the Board of Library Trustees, Library Director, Mayor and Village Board of Trustees have been able to navigate successfully. This speaks volumes to not only the importance of prudent fiscal responsibility but good, healthy working relationships with various branches of our Village government.

In what ways can intergovernmental relationships with state, county and other local governmental agencies be strengthened or improved?

The relationship our library Director and Board of Trustees maintains with our Mayor and Village Trustees is healthy, open and mutually respectful. A continued relationship of this nature is strengthened and improved, over time, by living up to the promises made during these discussions and agreements.

Is there any reason you would not serve your full term of office, other than those of health or family? None that I am aware of at this time.

The best advice ever shared with me was:

Your life is your responsibility, your word is your bond, your attitude determines your altitude so never stop learning, growing and giving. Shared with me by my grandfather.