Three seats on the Belleville Area District Library Board will be filled in the Nov. 8 General Election.
There are three seeking these three seats so all will be elected.
Incumbents Joy Cichewicz and John Juriga are running for reelection and newcomer Alma Hughes-Grubbs is seeking the seat vacated by Michael Boelter who decided not to run again.
Joy Cichewicz
Joy Cichewicz, 49885 Willis Road, Sumpter Township, is librarian/branch manager for the Ypsilanti District Library-Michigan Avenue Branch. She is married to Rick Cichewicz.
Cichewicz earned a master’s degree in Library Science from Wayne State University and a bachelor of science degree in Psychology and Social Work from Eastern Michigan University.
She explains why she is running for reelection:
“Libraries serve very important functions. At a very low per-person cost, libraries provide life-long learning opportunities, endless entertainment, job hunting assistance, free programs that enrich lives and educate youth, a community gathering space, and access to the Internet, books, magazines, movies, music, audio books.
“I feel particularly qualified because of my background. I’ve been a librarian for 19 years. For the past eight years I’ve been the branch manager of the very busy downtown branch of the Ypsilanti District Library. Prior to that, I worked eight years at Brighton District Library as Head of Automation, three years at U of M in the Undergraduate Library and Social Work Library, and a few months in the UAW/Chrysler Technology Training Center in Detroit.”
Once elected she said: “The first priority is to make sure that we provide an adequate library building for this community. After the failed 2014 efforts, in which we tried to pass a millage and bond for a dream building, we went back to the voters. We had several forums, we used a survey that I developed and collated, and we talked to people in the community.
“We received strong feedback that the voters wanted two things: they wanted their library to remain downtown and they wanted a new building at a lower cost. We have worked hard to work with the three communities, including our elected officials, to come up with an option that keeps the library downtown and lowers the overall cost of both the bond and the operating increase to about 1/3 less. The new library would move our library forward into the next 50 years in a way that makes it clear that we heard the voters!”
John Juriga
John Juriga, 327 East Huron River Drive, Belleville, retired from the Romulus Schools in 1999, after 30 years of service.
He has a bachelor of science degree in Industrial Education from Murray State University, a master of arts in Industrial Education from Eastern Michigan University, and additional hours towards a specialists degree at Michigan State University.
He has served for the past 13 years on the City of Belleville Planning Commission and before that three years on the Van Buren Township Planning Commission. He served on the city’s Board of Canvassers and the Façade Committee for the Belleville Downtown Development Authority.
Currently he served on the Senior Transportation Committee, has been a church trustee for five years, and is a board member for the Belleville Area Historical Society and Museum.
He started the Romulus and Belleville Boys & Girls Clubs and is on the Advisory Council for both clubs.
He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Jamaica in 1967-68 and a Red Cross volunteer, including work following hurricanes in Texas and Florida. He also worked on church volunteer missions building senior housing in Moscow, Russia in 1991 and building a school in Haiti in 1986.
Juriga is married to Deborah and they have three sons: Justin, Travis, and Jesse. He has lived in the library district for 47 years.
“I feel that this area deserves a quality library and I want to finish the job in seeing that is accomplished,” he said. “Presently, we have approximately 122,000 people coming to the library on a yearly basis. I would love to see this number doubled and the return of our residents who are going to libraries in surrounding areas coming back to Belleville.
“My goals continue to include getting a larger library that will house more computers, more books for all ages, various meeting rooms, and a large children’s area. I envision a community library where people cannot only come to read, learn, and use computers, but also hold meetings and special events such as plays, concerts, conferences and presentations. I would continue to support a multi-story library in downtown Belleville.”
Alma Hughes-Grubbs
Alma Hughes-Grubbs, 47755 Bentley, Van Buren Township, is retired as a sergeant from the Detroit Police department where she served as a polygraph examiner. She has lived in the library district for 16 years.
After retirement, she worked for the Wayne State University Library.
Hughes-Grubbs graduated from Cass Tech High and has a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Central Michigan University and a master of science degree in Administration at Wayne State University. She is divorced.
This is her first run for elective office.
Hughes-Grubbs is a golfer and belongs to the African American Book Club at the Belleville Area District Library.
She belongs to the Retired Detroit Police group and the American Polygraph Examiners Association and the Michigan Association of Polygraph Examiners.
“I am a strong supporter of the Belleville Area District Library and see a great need for a new facility,” she said. “I would like to be a part of this project.
“My goal is to support a new library building if approved by voters to assure that the library staff has the necessary technology to assist patrons.
“This library services three communities. It is my belief that our library staff provides awesome service with their limited resources. I have observed the large amount of patrons that utilize the services offered. The staff is outstanding, always eager to provide assistance, however, they are saddled with very limited resources to stay on par with other neighboring communities.
“It is my belief that as a community grows, so should the amenities provided. A new library building is a great investment in our community. I have visited other neighboring libraries and our library lags very far behind,” she said.
Hughes-Grubbs said her goal is to assist in implementing a facility that will service the community for the next 50 years.