Around Town
‘A Smart, Level-Headed Consensus-Builder’: Fond Farewell for New Canaan Library Board’s Christian Le Bris
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The New Canaan Library Board of Trustees on Tuesday evening bid bond farewell to Christian Le Bris, its president for the past two years whose steady head and hand are credited with helping to build consensus and, together with Library Director Lisa Oldham, strengthen the institution’s relationship with the town. Le Bris in serving for the maximum of two consecutive 3-year terms on the board has been “invaluable to the library and instrumental in making it the wonderful institution that it is today,” new board President Alicia Wyckoff said during the library’s annual meeting, held in the Lamb Room. “He has been a clear and effective representative of the library to the town. He has led the board with quiet strength and has governed by consensus, creating a governing body that fully supports the library and the library organization and its executive director. Chris is smart, level-headed, a consensus-builder and most importantly, he can really make you laugh.”
During the 30-minute meeting, board members and staff: updated attendees on the library’s finances—total support income of $2.8 million for the fiscal year ended June 30, mostly through the annual campaign, exceeding budget by 2 percent, with an endowment fund of $1.1 million and capital fund of $1.5 million; received an operational update from Oldham, including on personnel, programming, investments in technology and newly defined role’s (such as the very popular Reader’s Advisor); voted to amend a part of the library’s bylaws; and formally appointed new board members.
