Long-time Shelter Rock Library Trustee Burton Roslyn was elected president of the board of trustees on Tuesday after serving the last two years of his predecessor’s term.
Roslyn won with a total of 14 votes, with one write-in vote for another candidate, Library Director Andrea Meluskey said.
The write-in was for Bobby Lee, who Meluskey said is a patron who visits the library frequently.
“It takes a dedication to community service,” Roslyn said on what it takes to be a library trustee.
Roslyn said that he has been a trustee on the board since 1995 until becoming president in 2017.
Roslyn became president in 2017 when the former President, Thomas Jordan, retired. So Roslyn was only president for part of Jordan’s last term, Meluskey said.
He commended the strength of the library but did not attribute those strengths to himself, but also to its staff.
“I think it’s in part attributed to the staff,” Roslyn said.
He said what makes the library strong is its ability to keep people informed, host workshops for the community and provide a safe space for children.
“We can provide that sense of place,” Roslyn said.
Outside of the library board, Roslyn serves as the president of Roslyn Consultants which is a full-service project management and architectural consulting firm.
Roslyn said that he uses skills not only in the workforce but also for his community noting that as a trustee he helped manage a major renovation project done at the library in 2010. While he did not design the project himself, he said his expertise helped him choose the firm and discuss concerns the board had.
During his 37-year career he has been at the helm of many projects from commercial offices to an international retreat center, Roslyn said.
Roslyn said that in the past he has appeared as an expert witness at government hearings, lectured to many architectural groups on building code compliance and fire safety.
He also teaches at architecture at the New York Institute of Technology campuses in Westbury and New York City, as well as the New York University Schack Graduate Center of Real Estate.
Roslyn said he has lived in Roslyn Heights for 38 years, raising a family with his wife Marian.
Roslyn also has served as commissioner of the Albertson Water District and as a trustee in the past. He is also an advisory member and house chairman at Old Westbury Hebrew Congregation.
