Westbury residents Jack Meegan and Kenneth Little are vying for the one open seat on the Westbury Memorial Public Library's Board of Trustees. To help readers in their voting process, The Westbury Times has compiled the following profiles on each candidate:

John "Jack" Meegan was appointed to the Westbury Library Board of Trustees in July 2002 to fill the seat being vacated by retiring, veteran board member Susan Kenler.

A 49-year resident of Westbury, Meegan is a retired owner of the Hicksville-based John J. Meegan insurance company and former 20-year trustee of the Westbury Village Board, serving from 1981 to 2001. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Hobart College and also served in the United States Navy during World War II.

Meegan is currently an active member of St. Brigid's Church, American Legion Post 101, the Ancient Order of Hibernians Division II and Knights of Columbus Council #1012 where he served as an officer. He was a 30-year member of the Westbury Senior Citizen's Board and served on the Village Recreation Commission for 10 years. He is also a lifetime member of the Westbury Amateur Baseball Little League.

As a trustee, Meegan said his many years of financial experience are an asset to the library, especially in support of budget negotiations. Being re-elected, said Meegan, would enable him to "remain part of a team that has continually updated and upgraded the excellent services to the entire community-especially in technology-that the library supplies, making the Westbury Library a secure and comfortable place for all ages, at all times, in which to work, learn and relax."

In addition to working to assure that the growth in library programs now offered continues, Meegan will work to ensure that attendance at the satellite branch in the Park Avenue School as well as at the Children's Library continues to grow. He added that he would also work to "assure that the outstanding growth in popular programs now presented continues" and "continue providing excellent service to the entire community to accommodate the educational and recreational needs of all ages."

In his retirement, Meegan enjoys playing golf and bowling, traveling with his wife and spending time with his four children and six grandchildren.

Kenneth M. Little is a lifelong resident of Westbury.

After graduating from Westbury High School, Little went on to earn a bachelor's degree in political science from American International College. He is currently employed as a principal court officer for Nassau County District Court in Hempstead. In addition to supervising 100 officers in the performance of their duties, Little is responsible for purchasing and maintaining the courts' inventory of emergency medical and security equipment, developing and overseeing the departmental budget and training all newly assigned officers. Over the years, he has earned distinguished service awards from fellow court officers and former Nassau County district attorneys.

On a local front, Little is a member of the Westbury PAL Track Team and sits on the board of directors of the Westbury Amateur Baseball Association. He is a block captain for the Unified New Cassel Revitalization, a PTA representative and member of the School Planning and Management Team and Westbury Middle School DAD's Club.

As a trustee, Little would like to develop a more feasible and accessible location for the satellite branch of the Children's Library, which is currently located at the Park Avenue School, and expand its services to accommodate older children. He would also work to update services especially in the area of technology, develop better communication between the library and the ever growing community, and ensure that the library maintains a fiscally sound budget while providing programs and services for the community as a whole.

"I want to ensure that the services offered for use by my family and others will continue to be updated," said Little. "I see libraries as an equalizer. Everyone in the community can avail themselves of the library and its books, reference materials, periodicals, computers, programs and other services. The knowledge that can be gained from these resources is immeasurable."

Little and his wife, Gayle, have two daughters enrolled at Westbury Middle School.

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Elections will take place on Tuesday, April 8 from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and trustee positions are for five-year terms. For more information, call the Westbury Library at 333-0176.