Three mayoral nominees for St. Louis Public Library board introduced and sent to full board

The Legislation Rules Committee on Wednesday introduced three mayoral nominees to the St. Louis Public Library Board and voted to forward all three to the full Board of Aldermen for final confirmation.

Alderwoman (10th ward) presented the nominees — Sharon Shahed, Kathy Serat States and Gregory Glor — and invited each to introduce themselves to the committee. "I just moved back to St. Louis eight months ago and am thrilled to be a nominee for the St. Louis library board," Sharon Shahed said, adding that the library was “transformative” in her life and that "my library card was like my passport." Kathy Serat States said she has lived in St. Louis since 1988, serves on the St. Louis Foundation board and wants to help ensure library services continue for residents. Gregory Glor said he returned to St. Louis about 12 years ago, has used library classes such as Excel and Google Docs and serves on the airport arts advisory committee.

Committee members asked no substantive questions of the nominees and offered welcomes and thanks. After brief remarks, a committee member moved to approve all three nominees; the motion was seconded and recorded with no objections. The clerk said the nominations will be taken to the full board the next day for final action.

Why it matters: The St. Louis Public Library provides a range of services cited by committee members and nominees alike, from literacy programs to digital-skills classes. Committee members noted the recent reopenings of neighborhood branches following tornado damage and framed the appointments as part of restoring and sustaining those services.

The committee recorded the motion to forward the nominations; the nominations will appear on the full Board of Aldermen agenda for final confirmation.