LIVERPOOL — Donald J. MacLaughlin made his last official monthly Wednesday evening trip to the Liverpool Public Library’s Carman Community Room on May 5.
He listened hard and patiently helped answer questions from two community members asking about the approved 2021-2022 library budget proposal to be voted upon by Liverpool Central School District residents on Tuesday, May 18.
After that, MacLaughlin and fellow trustees considered other issues, voting to approve some policies and moving to continue the progress on others until later action.
The final step of the night was to say goodbye to MacLaughlin.
After seven years as an LPL trustee, he decided to not run for another five-year term. Knowing that he’d turn 80 this month, MacLaughlin said, he didn’t think he’d want to make that Wednesday drive on a snowy night some years down the road. He’d never put his name on the ballot if he knew he wouldn’t serve the full term, MacLaughlin said. Too important. To him, and for the community.
Board president Kay Budmen wished MacLaughlin well, bringing up Leo Tolstoy’s short story ”The Three Questions.” MacLauglin immediately said he had them up on his refrigerator.
As the trustees chuckled, Budmen related from Tolstoy: “What is the right time to begin anything? Who are the right people to listen to? What is the most important thing to be doing at any given time?”
The trustees agreed that MacLaughlin was there with these questions and more as they considered important issues for the library and community.
“You are a philosopher like Tolstoy,” Budmen said.
LPL Director Glenna Wisniewski said when she first met MacLaughlin seven years ago, she was starting her position leading the library’s staff. And she told MacLaughliin she was scared.
“Do you remember my answer?” he said. “I told you, ‘Good.’”
He told her the responsibility to the community is enormous.
“I was literally wet behind the ears,” Wisniewski said, thanking MacLaughlin for his work with the library. “And he took me by the hand, and he took me to the Town of Clay Board.”
MacLaughlin said he’s sure the library has a great team in place to serve the community.
“The board doesn’t have to get into the daily details. The board has to be serious about its oversight responsibility,” MacLaughlin said. “Thank you for your patience.”
Then he was presented with flowers and cake.
“The flowers are for [his wife] Pat,” Wisniewski said. “She loaned you to us all these nights.”
