Statement by Library Trustee candidate Jeff Leb

I am a long-time community advocate now running to transform the board of the Peninsula Public Library. I am happily married for 11 years and live in Cedarhurst with my wife, Esther, and our four terrific children who attend local yeshivas. Currently, I work for the Sephardic Community Federation, a public policy organization, and am Secretary of TEACH NYS – the only organization dedicated to helping ease the tuition burden on private school parents. I volunteer for several different organizations including Project Mazon, a program which I co-founded that provides quiet assistance to families in need by subsidizing their weekly grocery bill.

My professional career began with Salomon Smith Barney. I worked in the Corporate Tax Division and was the liaison between Salomon Smith Barney and the IRS. It was there that I really learned how to gauge the financial stability of an initiative or company. After working there, I worked for New York City Councilman James F. Gennaro. My responsibilities included overseeing the Councilmanic operations and determining the best course of action to maximize the fiscal, social and cultural opportunities of the 24th Councilmanic district in Queens. I also worked for the Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget, determining the best ways to optimize the revenues for the City of New York while minimizing the City’s expenses.

I'm running to reform the currently ineffective Peninsula Public Library. The budget for the Peninsula Public Library is paid for by the taxpayers of District 15. Several million dollars go into the Library each and every year. Where is this money going? I don’t know, there is a severe lack of transparency in the budget.

I would like to have a forensic accounting audit performed on the library and find out exactly where the money is going. We, as taxpayers, have a right to know. Once that is revealed, I will work on behalf of my constituents to make sure that the library budget is used in the most effective and efficient way possible – maximizing programs that will be used by our youth and seniors and cutting out waste and inconsistencies in the budget.

Sarah Yastrab and I can turn the library into the incredible institution that our community deserves.