The following was submitted by the candidate

My name is Andrea Gordon, and I am running for one of the three open seats on the Board of Library Trustees. A resident of Milton for 50 years, I have spent most of my life actively engaged in developing strong libraries that are responsive and responsible to their communities. For seventeen years I was the Library Director of the Thayer Academy Library and then in 1994 I was elected to the Board of Trustees of the Milton Public Library and served six terms until 2012. During that time I played many roles in the planning, building, and financing of our new Library of which all of Milton is justly proud. In 2001 I was one of the founders of the Milton Library Foundation which is the source of capital and supplemental funds for the enrichment of library programs and services.

Though I have enjoyed these past few years not being on the Library Board, I found there was a void in my life, a void I wished to fill by once again volunteering in some capacity for our town of Milton, a position that would utilize my professional expertise, experience and knowledge of the town. I concluded that the best use of my time and energy would be in service once again to the Town Library as a Trustee. Indeed, I would relish the opportunity to work with other Trustees to find fair resolutions to the problems that plague the library now and in the foreseeable future. I also would like the Board to identify those townspeople who do not use the library, why they do not, and how the Library can actively engage them. Most importantly, I would work with the Library Director and the Board to make sure the Library has a more than bare bones appropriation from the Town, a budget that allows for the highest quality collection, necessary services like a Homework Center, and cultural programs for all ages. My vision for the library is that of a “home away from home”, a safe magical place where one can not only find information but also where one can find multiple perspectives and dream.

Currently I am a Town Meeting Member from Precinct 8, a member of the Milton Historical Society, and the Amateur Gardeners of Milton. I live with my husband Marvin and dog Oscar at 163 Gun Hill Street. My four daughters all attended Milton Public Schools and three of the four are alumnae of Milton High School. A graduate of Barnard College, I have a MS from Simmons College School of Information and Library Science. I hope you will look kindly on my candidacy and will honor me with one of your three votes for Library Trustee. If you have any concerns, please contact me at andreagordon13@gmail.com.