The Great Neck Library Board of Trustees ushered in a new crop of trustees Thursday night as they bid farewell to two members leaving and welcomed the two replacing them at their annual reorganization meeting.
The board said goodbye to trustees Kathleen Gold and Josephine Mairzadeh, both of whom did not run for re-election in October. They were replaced by newcomers Brachah Goykadosh and Neal Hakimi, who were elected to the board alongside trustee Aliza Reicher in October.
“The library has always played a huge role in my life,” Gold said. “I grew up in Great Neck and I continue to gain so much pride when I hear newcomers to Great Neck, old-timers in Great Neck just say nothing but praise about our library. It’s really more than just a house of books.”
A certificate was presented to Gold in honor of her service. Mairzadeh was not present at the meeting, but a certificate was also presented for her.
The board also changed its officers, including now former President Rory Lancman, who said farewell to his two-year post and passed the baton to Reicher. Lancman left the position after serving two one-year terms – the limit set for the seat.
“While the Board of Trustees is a very, very important role at the library, the library is run by our staff, our director on down, and her team has done a phenomenal job,” Lancman said. “I hope that the two years that I have been president, she and her team have not felt that we have intruded on their domain, even if not every board meeting has been as easy as we would have liked.”
Lancman said that when he ran for his seat, his focus was on pressing issues of the time, such as defending freedom of expression and freedom of speech as well as ensuring welcomeness to everyone at the library. Another issue that concerned him was an election lawsuit the library was facing, which was settled in September 2023.
He said he is leaving his seat with a positive governing culture among the board members and that despite their differences, their actions are focused on serving the community.
“I think that you see the product of our work in the satisfaction of our patrons,” Lancman said. “The place is bustling.”
Accomplishments that Lancman highlighted from 2024 included the reopening of the Parkville Branch after renovations, the Main Branch front steps reconstruction, hiring a new assistant director and reforming about a dozen library policies.
“I want to thank my colleagues for trusting me with being president for the two years,” Lancman said. “Thank you, director, for working with me – always in good faith even where we disagreed to try to get to a resolution that would be better for the library.”
Reicher was appointed as president with four votes. The remaining three trustees on the seven-member board – Barry Smith, Chayim Mahgerefteh and Hakimi – abstained from voting for her.
“Thank you for your vote of confidence and I hope to have a really productive year with Denise and I’m looking forward to working with everybody,” Reicher said.
Smith was appointed vice president, Lancman secretary, Mahgerefteh treasurer, Goykadosh assistant treasurer and Hakimi second assistant treasurer. Trustee Liman Mimi Hu was not appointed to a position.
