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FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.qns.com MARCH 3, 2016 • THE QUEENS COURIER 11 QUEENS LIBRARY HAS A NEW CEO: Former Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott BY ROBERT POZARYCKI rpozarycki@qns.com/@robbpoz Opening a new chapter in its history, the Queens Borough Public Library is tapping former Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott as its new leader. The library’s board of trustees announced late on Feb. 29 that Walcott would become the library’s new president and CEO, taking the helm from Bridget Quinn-Carey, who operated Queens Library on an interim basis since September 2014. Walcott served as the city’s schools chancellor under Mayor Michael Bloomberg from the spring of 2011 through the end of Bloomberg’s tenure at City Hall in 2013. He was previously the deputy mayor for education and community development during the Bloomberg administration. Prior to being named the new Queens Library president, Walcott served as monitor of the East Ramapo School District in Rockland County, overseeing the district’s operations. According to Carl Seldin Koerner, chairman of the Queens Library board of trustees, Walcott is expected to begin his service to Queens Library in the middle of this month, pending the approval of the State Education Department. “We are confi dent that Dennis Walcott has exactly the right skills and depth of experience to lead the library through the challenging years ahead,” said Koerner and Vice Chair Judith Bergtraum, who served as chair of the board’s Search Committee, in a joint statement. “I look forward to working with all the fantastic, creative, dynamic staff and friends and visiting every community library, meeting and listening to their ideas and participating in initiatives that make life better and richer for their neighborhoods,” Walcott said. Walcott, a St. Albans resident, is being looked upon to provide stable leadership at Queens Library, which was the subject of much scandal and upheaval over the last several years. Its former president and CEO, Thomas Galante, was the center of controversy in 2014 over allegations of malfeasance and corruption. When the library’s board of trustees failed to dismiss him, Queens Borough President Melinda Katz and Mayor Bill de Blasio intervened, removing and replacing eight trustees who rebuffed calls for Galante’s ouster. The reconstituted board of trustees suspended Galante in September 2014, then fi red him three months later. Galante is suing Queens Library for wrongful termination; the library subsequently fi led a countersuit. Katz praised the new Queens Library boss in a statement on Tuesday. “At its core, the Queens Library exists to serve its educational purpose as a community hub of learning, literacy and culture for millions of families,” she said. “I have full faith in the direction and future of the library, and look forward to the great things to come under Dennis’ leadership.” Walcott is a product of the public schools system, having attended P.S. 36, I.S. 192 and Francis Lewis High School. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut in 1973. THE COURIER/File photo Then-Schools Chancellor Dennis Walcott is pictured at a June 2013 meeting in Glendale. Great rates like ours are always in season. 1.50% 36-Month CD APY1 $5,000 minimum deposit 1.30% 24-Month CD APY1 $5,000 minimum deposit To qualify you must open a Flushing Bank Complete Checking Plus account. Get the complete access and control you desire with a competitive interest rate and banking on-the-go with our Flushing Bank Mobile2 app. For more information and to find out about our other great offers, visit your local Flushing Bank branch, call 800.581.2889 or visit www.FlushingBank.com. 1 New money only. APY effective February 12, 2016. Annual percentage yield assumes principal and interest remain on deposit for a full year at current rate. Minimum deposit balance of $5,000 is required. Funds cannot be transferred from an existing Flushing Bank account. Premature withdrawals may be subject to bank and IRS penalties. Rates and offer are subject to change without notice. A new Complete Checking Plus account with a $5,000 minimum initial deposit is required to receive the CD with the advertised rate. Certain fees and restrictions may apply. For new IRA and rollover accounts, the minimum deposit balance is $5,000. A new checking account is not required for IRA accounts. Speak with a Flushing Bank representative for more details. 2 Flushing Bank Mobile Banking is available to all Flushing Bank online banking users. Flushing Bank is a registered trademark


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