While others failed, library levy here soars

In an election when library levies fell like autumn leaves, the Oberlin Public Library seemed to be an evergreen tree with the only library levy to pass in Lorain County.

According to unofficial results from the Lorain County board of elections, voters last week passed the 1.5-mill, five-year levy by more than a 2-1 margin. The vote was 1,954 in favor and 973 against the levy.

"It's nice to have support," said an unsurprised library director Darren McDonough. "I knew we had strong support. We get a lot of use, and people appreciate what we have here."

He said the levy committee did a great job of publicizing the need for the levy. One of the first things he did on Wednesday morning following the election was to send an e-mail to committee members Julia Binder, Audrey Kolb, Cynthia Corner, Eva Greenburg, Joe Luciano, John Picken, Mary Van Nortwick, Mary Picken, Nick Jones, and Stephanie Jones, thanking them for their hard work.

"This year's committee was lean and mean and did what needed to be done without wasting a lot of time and money," McDonough wrote. "This is truly a special place. Oberlin is a great town and the Oberlin Public Library is a big and important part of it."

While the Oberlin levy passed, other libraries in the county did not fare so well.

The Avon Branch of the Lorain Public Library System had two issues on the Nov. 3 general election ballot, and each was soundly defeated. A 0.91-mill, 25-mill bond issue to construct a new building failed by a vote of 1,998 in favor and 4,208 against, and a 2.31-mill continuing operating levy failed by a vote of 2,128 in favor and 4,095 against.

The Grafton-Midview Public Library asked voters for a 1.5-mill continuing levy for operating expenses. Voters rejected that levy, 3,100 in favor and 3,364 opposed.

"It's depressing," said McDonough, noting he is friends with the Grafton library director. "I feel so bad for Grafton. I imagine they'll be back in the spring."

Even the Oberlin library levy did not receive universal support. While it passed by more than a 4-to-1 margin in the city of Oberlin -- 1,677 in favor and 409 against -- it failed by more than 2-to-1 in Amherst, Carlisle, New Russia, and Pittsfield townships -- 277 in favor and 564 against.