POLAND — Voters will choose from five candidates to fill four council seats in the Nov. 4 election.

While each has separate reasons for running, they all have strong feelings when it comes to the issue of the Poland branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County.

Chris Graff, who has served on council for the past six years, said, “Keeping the library in its current location is a cause dear to my heart.”

Graff is one of the original members of the citizens’ group formed to save the library.

“The work of this group has been tireless in our efforts to bring public awareness and involvement to the level it is currently. Regardless of the outcome of this election, I will go to the very end with these good people,” he said.

Another heavily invested member is Samuel Moffie, who has served on council since 2017.

“I called the first meeting of concerned citizens that initiated the petition drive and mushroomed into a magnificent group of dedicated citizens working to ‘Save Your Library,'” he said.

“I want the library to stay a magnificent structure. We shouldn’t have ever got to this point, but here we are. I am very disappointed with the library trustees and their executive director.”

Abbie Bosak, a three-year member of council, said the library board has not done enough to include residents in key decisions.

“In my view, the Mahoning County library board was entrusted with a tremendous community asset in the Poland branch,” she said. “This asset was built and maintained through both taxpayer dollars and private donations. With that comes the responsibility to act as careful stewards of our shared investment. The board has a duty to restore the building to a respectable condition and to maintain it to the same high standards that were originally entrusted to them.”

Laurie LaPlante, appointed by council this year to fill the seat left vacant by Michael Zembower when he moved to the township, has been heavily involved regarding the library branch.

A founding member of the Save Our Library community group, LaPlante said, “I would like to work with the library board to encourage them to invest the necessary funds to restore the library to its intended use, perhaps over a five-year period, as suggested by the county commissioners at their last meeting.”

LaPlante believes “this community needs and deserves a library within walking distance of school for a majority of its students, one that promotes education and discovery, and one that is the anchor of our historic downtown district. Our current Poland library fulfills all of these needs, and we should be working hard to preserve it.”

First-time candidate Betsy Rudzik has not held public office before, but does take a stand on the library branch issue.

“I am for the Poland library staying where it is and being remediated,” she said. “We have a beautiful building, the nicest library in Mahoning County. I cannot imagine it sitting empty.”

If elected, Rudzik said she will do everything in her power to help steer the library board into keeping the library in its current location.

No matter who is elected, the future of the Poland Library branch is expected to remain a central issue for council in the next term.

OTHER ISSUES

Beyond the library issue, the candidates do have additional priorities.

Bosak said she will focus on transparency in government, community engagement and ensuring residents feel heard, understood and included in council discussions.

Graff’s priorities include paying close attention to the village’s finances, protecting the natural beauty of Poland Forest and working with the police chief in the daily operations of the Poland Village Police Department.

LaPlante’s focuses are improving government communication, efficiency and transparency, and ensuring Poland Forest is kept as natural as possible.

Moffie’s top priorities include maintaining elite police and street department services, finishing the Forest Connector, which he assisted in getting funding for, and finding other funding sources to address critical infrastructure needs.

Rudzik is committed to serving the community, maintaining the look and feel of Poland Village while attracting young people, and adhering to fiscal responsibility for the village in the use of taxpayers’ funds.