Newcomer to Join Library Board

There will be two familiar faces and one new one on the governing board of the Palos Verdes Peninsula library system as the result of Tuesday’s balloting.

According to final unofficial returns, voters returned incumbents Robert A. Rowe and Anne F. Wittels and placed newcomer William R. Glantz on the board.

Trailing were Wendy Yen, Loren J. Crawford and Virginia T. Gardner. Even though Gardner withdrew from the race because of a scheduling conflict and asked that no one vote for her, she received 5.3% of the vote.

Wittels, who was appointed to the board last summer, said she was delighted to win election in her own right. She said she wants the three-library system, which serves 85,000 people in the four Peninsula cities, to do a better job of publicizing its services.

“At my forums, I gave out 50 applications for cards,” she said. “People wanted them.”

Rowe lost his voice to a bad cold and could not comment on his victory. But his wife, Mary Lou, said: “He is happy he was reelected--absolutely.”

Glantz could not be reached for comment. He focused his campaign on restoring Sunday hours, at least at the main library at Peninsula Center. The board, in its most criticized economy move, eliminated Sunday hours several years ago.

The election drew a large field of candidates after the board, believing that too many people take the library for granted, published appeals urging people to run.