Library Board Candidate Info Session: July 14

The Ann Arbor District Library staff is hosting an information session for potential candidates running for election to the AADL board. The event will last from 6-7 p.m. in the fourth floor boardroom at the downtown library, 343 S. Fifth Ave.

Three spots on the board will be on the Nov. 4, 2014 ballot. These are non-partisan positions, with four-year terms starting Jan. 1, 2015. The seats are currently held by Barbara Murphy, Jan Barney Newman and Ed Surovell.

Update: Newman and Surovell have told The Chronicle that they plan to seek re-election this year. However, Murphy has decided not to run for another term.

Depending on the outcome of the Aug. 5, 2014 primary, there might be an additional opening on the seven-member library board. AADL trustee Nancy Kaplan is a candidate in the Democratic primary for a seat representing Ward 2 on the Ann Arbor city council. The other Democratic candidate for that seat is Kirk Westphal. No Republicans are competing in that race. Kaplan has indicated that if elected to the city council, she plans to resign from the library board.

Prospective AADL board candidates have until 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 12 to file to be placed on the ballot. To file, candidates must turn in an affidavit of identity to the Washtenaw County clerk’s office, along with a $100 non-refundable filing fee or a minimum of 40 valid signatures on a nominating petition. More details on the filing process are available on the county clerk’s election website.

The positions are elected by voters in Ann Arbor and portions of seven townships that are covered by the library’s district – Pittsfield, Scio, Ann Arbor, Lodi, Webster, Salem and Superior. Those are the same boundaries served by the Ann Arbor Public Schools, with the exception of Northfield Township, which is partly within the AAPS district but has its own library system.