4 The QUENS Courier • december 18, 2014 for breaking news visit www.queenscourier.com Former Queens Library trustee defends Tom Galante’s reported expenses THE QUEENS COURIER STAF [email protected]/@queenscouier One of the six Queens Library trustees dismissed by the borough president has stepped out to defend the expenses by suspended library chief Tom Galante, saying the credit card charges by the embattled director were all for legitimate library purposes. Joseph Ficalora, CEO of NY Community Bank and past president of the Queens Library Foundation Board, told The Queens Courier that the expenses Galante made during his time as library director were not “inappropriate” and had all been approved by the board. Galante, who earns $392,000 a year was placed on indefinite, paid leave in September, following a preliminary review of library finances by city Comptroller Scott Stringer. Some of the credit card charges that Galante rang up included dinners with groups of library trustees, concert tickets and various hotel charges while the library chief was on out-of-town library business. However, according to Ficalora, the expenses that are being reported had all been approved by the board and were consistent to those of others who held Galante’s position in past years. He also added that six of the board members who had approved the expenses are still on the board. “This was nothing that they didn’t know and the board members that are still sitting knew this and there was nothing about the expenses that were inappropriate,” Ficalora said. He also said that other published reports that questioned international trips Galante took were a “miscarriage of justice” because he had been traveling around the world as the ambassador of the library and also to accept awards on the library’s behalf. Questions about Galante’s spending, including construction of an outdoor deck near his office and renovations to executive conference rooms, were first raised earlier this year after union grumbling about the 2013 outsourcing of some janitorial jobs at two of the library branches, raising questions over whether the claims were politically motivated. Despite several investigations into the spending, no charges have ever been filed. “These activities were board-approved and consistent with the library having earned awards,” Ficalora said. “Tom was invited to speak at worldclass events because of the world recognition and awards the Queens Library was receiving. None of those expenses were inappropriate and they were all approved by the board.” In regards to the “fine dining,” Ficalora added that these meals have been typical for library directors for decades and they took place to discuss library business such as new programs or any problems. Galante was suspended in September and his duties have since been carried out by Bridget Quinn-Carey, the library’s executive vice president and chief operating officer. In July, Borough President Melinda Katz fired six trustees and Mayor Bill de Blasio fired two more. Two others resigned. Four new trustees have since been appointed. Six of the ousted trustees filed a lawsuit in August demanding to be reinstated. However, two weeks ago a federal judge granted the request of the former trustees to dismiss their lawsuit that challenged Katz’s decision to remove them from the board. According to one of the lawyers representing the former trustees, the lawsuit was dismissed because the former trustees did not have the financial ability and emotional willpower to pursue the lawsuit. THE COURIER/File photo Tom Galante Local pol fights to gain national recognition of Flushing’s ties to religious freedom By Eric Jankiewicz [email protected] @EricJankiewicz The right to religious freedom in America has its roots in Flushing, and now federal lawmakers want to preserve local buildings, including the John Bowne House, where that freedom was first established. Congress passed a bill that would require the federal government to maintain sites like the John Bowne House in Flushing that are associated with the 1657 signing of the Flushing Remonstrance, the document recognized as the forerunner of religious freedom in America. The bill was sponsored by Rep. Grace Meng, of Queens, in the House, where it passed in September. “The 1657 Remonstrance triggered events which established the principle of religious freedom in the colony of New Amsterdam,” said Rosemary Vietor, vice president of the Bowne House Historical Society, “which led to the guarantee of religious freedom in the First Amendment more than 100 years later.” The bill passed the Senate on Saturday and has been sent to President Obama for his signature. If the bill is enacted, the National Park Services would examine whether the properties — John Bowne House and the Quaker Meeting House — meet the agency’s standards of being included in the national park system. The study could lead to the locations either becoming a National Historic Park or a National Historic Site or the creation of a partnership to support the facilities. According to Meng’s office, the bill is likely to be signed by the president soon, helping move a little-known piece of American history out of obscurity. “Not only would the two facilities become more well-known, but the sites would stand to receive many more visitors each year, and more tourism translates into more dollars for the Queens economy,” Meng said. “It’s time for more people across the country to know about the Flushing Remonstrance, and putting these sites on a national stage is a sure way to accomplish that.” THE COURIER/File Photo The historic John Bowne House in Flushing, where the Quakers held meetings.
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