Bergman, DeBartolo win seats on Sugar Grove Library Board

Despite enduring much criticism from the public back in 2011 for firing a longtime library director, Sugar Grove Library Board incumbent Bob Bergman won another 6-year term Tuesday night with 894 votes, according to unofficial results.

Ed DeBartolo of Montgomery won the other 6-year term and was actually the top vote-getter, earning 1,065 votes.

Write-in candidate Pat Graceffa, former president of the Sugar Grove Friends of the Library, was unsuccessful in her bid to unseat Bergman, but she still managed to garner 421 votes.

Graceffa had intended to be on the ballot, but a paperwork mix-up kept her off.

Bergman has been on the board since 1997. As such, he was one of the trustees who endured pickets, and crowded, raucous library board meetings after the firing of the library director.

During the campaign, Bergman said the "management problems" have been solved, finances straightened out, and that the library board is willing to listen to ideas from the public.

Tuesday night after his victory he reiterated that, saying that he was hoping to keep the library open more hours and expected to continue running it on a lean, but practical, budget.

His new colleague, DeBartolo, campaigned on rebuilding the library's reputation in the community.

"I am looking forward to working with the current library board members to keep the library on the smooth and a good place to visit," DeBartolo said Tuesday night. "I am anxious to find more ways to bring people into the library, like increasing hours."

The library hours were cut because of money issues, and although some hours have been restored, it is open less than neighboring libraries in North Aurora and Elburn.