Brookline Candidate Profile: Marissa Vogt For Public Library Trustee

BROOKLINE, MA — The town election is fast approaching on Tuesday, May 5 and Public Library Trustee is one of its contested races.

Brookline Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles leading up to election day.

Marissa Vogt is running for Brookline Public Library Trustee.

Age

42

Position Sought

Trustee of the Public Library

Party affiliation

none

Family

husband and 2 kids in PSB

Education

Ph.D. in Geophysics and Space Physics from UCLA, undergrad degrees from MIT

Occupation

Planetary Space Physicist

Previous or Current Elected Office

Town Meeting Member 2020-present, Library Trustee 2023-present

Campaign Website

bit.ly/vogt4brookline

Why are you seeking elected office?

I'm a regular visitor to the Brookline Village branch with my kids. I am consistently in awe at the diversity of programming and services that our libraries offer. Libraries provide so much more than just books: we offer programs, printing, computer resources, a "library of things" including telescopes and button makers, games, DVDs, museum passes, a community gathering place, and public restrooms. Our public libraries are an invaluable resource and in 2023 I first ran to serve as a Library Trustee because I wanted to help them fulfill their work in serving our community. The role of a Library Trustee includes setting policy, evaluating the work of the Library Director, supporting our amazing library staff, and advocating for robust library funding and competitive staff compensation. I'm running for re-election as a Trustee of the Public Library to continue that work of helping our libraries and staff serve our community.

The single most-pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is __________ and this is what I intend to do about it.

We recently hired a new Library Director and will soon begin developing a new strategic plan, which will set the library's priorities for the next few years. I'm looking forward to gathering community feedback on what our strategic plan should include while also using what I've learned in my first 3-year term as a trustee to develop realistic goals with measurable outcomes. I want to make sure that the strategic plan meets the needs of our community, including by: expanding language access in our materials and programs; increasing efforts to bring library resources out into the community, such as through a bookmobile and partnerships with other community organizations; developing clear policies about the library's use of AI, including in our collections; and offering programs and materials that reflect the diversity of our community.

What are the critical differences between you and other candidates seeking this post?

The great thing about having a competitive race for Library Trustees is that we have extra people who love and support our libraries! One thing that sets me apart from other candidates is my strong quantitative data analysis skills, which is helpful in budget advocacy. I'm also the youngest current Trustee or candidate and have young kids who are regular library users, which helps me understand the work and offerings of our largest library department, youth services. But overall we're really fortunate as a community to have 5 people running who love our library and want to help it succeed in serving the community.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform.

Advocating for our library, our staff, and our budget is an important part of a Library Trustee's work, and I want to expand our recent advocacy work and community outreach. I have researched recent trends in our library funding and the fraction of the overall town budget that is allocated to the library, and found that the library's share of the town operating budget has decreased from ~1.75% to ~1.1% over the past decade. Our library budget has unfortunately failed to keep up with even modest inflation, averaging less than a 2% increase per year on average over the past decade. I'm looking forward to doing more advocacy work on behalf of the library.

The best advice ever shared with me was __________

Don't miss the forest for the trees

What else would you like voters to know about yourself and your positions?

I'm proud to be endorsed by Progressive Brookline and I'd be honored to have your vote on May 5. I hope you'll also support my friend Amy Newell who is also running for a seat on the board and will bring to the board a passion for libraries and free information, a strong understanding of Brookline's local government, and a commitment to equity & inclusion.

See Also:

Brookline Candidate Profile: Petra Bignami For Public Library Trustee

Brookline Candidate Profile: Aylit Schultz For School Committee

Brookline Candidate Profile: Amy Newell For Public Library Trustee

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