WILLIAMSBURG — Election to the library board of trustees is drawing interest this year, with three candidates declaring for the two three-year seats.

Joy Kinigstein, Kevin McAllister and Anna Seren are all newcomers vying for seats being vacated by Robert Stinson and Patricia Billingsley. Voting takes place Monday.

The three candidates provided statements on their candidacies to the Gazette.

McAllister moved to Williamsburg with his wife, Susan, in 2001. He retired in 2017 after the couple sold their software company, inRESONANCE, which served independent schools across the country and in 34 countries worldwide. He was a longtime member of the Northampton Chamber of Commerce.

He now serves on the Williamsburg Woodland Trail Committee and volunteers with The Trustees of Reservations and The Hilltown Land Trust. He also volunteers as a business consultant to entrepreneurs and startups.

He said he hopes to work with the Meekins board to make the facility “even more of a resource for our community in every sense.”

“Town libraries have been a refuge and passion for me since childhood,” he said. “My mother worked in our California town library for over 25 years. As an avid reader, books have always been a vital part of my life.”

Kinigstein, a New York native, has lived in Williamsburg since 1987. During the last three decades, she has worked locally as an artist and art teacher (24 years at Hilltown Cooperative Charter Public School), raised two children educated at the Williamsburg Public Schools, and cherished the town library.

“Personally speaking, Meekins has not only served as a dependable resource for books and entertainment, but as a center for community involvement,” she said, nurturing connections with neighbors, serving as a venue for celebrations, and showcasing her and her students’ artwork.

She said she hopes to contribute her unique perspective to the Meekins as a board member.

Seren has lived in Haydenville for the last 15 years and was a frequent visitor for the seven years before that, as her husband’s family has lived and farmed in town for over 200 years.

She is co-owner with her husband, Nathan McElligott, of Abide Wellness Community, a massage and bodywork practice in Haydenville specializing in craniosacral therapy. She is also a member of the Williamsburg Players theater group, and has directed the last four musicals at the Anne T. Dunphy School.

“Having grown up in a library (my aunt was a librarian) and volunteered in libraries, I understand the importance of the institution as a hub of information, entertainment, and community service,” she said “I look forward to being a part of the continued growth and resiliency of our libraries.”

Candidates for all other offices face no official opposition.

Voting takes place May 1 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the town offices.

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