One candidate will be elected to Albion library board today

ALBION – There is an election in Albion today, although many people likely don’t realize it because it’s such a low-key campaign.

The community will pick a new member for the board of trustees for the Swan Library Association.

There are actually four seats open, but only one candidate, Terry Wilbert, agreed to be on the ballot. The other three openings will be left to the discretion of the 11-member board. The board could appoint members to fill the spots, or the positions could be left vacant until the next election in May 2014, said Kevin Doherty, board president.

Voting will be from noon to 7 p.m. today at Hoag Library, 134 South Main St. Voting is open to residents in the Albion school district. They will need proof of identity and residence.

The annual meeting, when the library reviews its proposed budget and circulation numbers, will begin at Hoag tonight at 7.

The board includes nine members who are elected by the public and two members who are appointed, one by the president of the Board of Education and one by the mayor of Albion. Doherty said the library board has talked about reducing the number of seats, which would require approval from library users in a public meeting.

Doherty and other board members believed all 11 members were needed when the community was working to not only run a public library, but to also build a new complex for the library. Now that the building project is complete, board members are open to reducing the size of the board.

“It’s been an item for conversation,” Doherty said.