Dupage Policy Journal

A candidate for Lombard's library board says that, if elected, he will deliver a "full audit of all expenditures, contracts and vendors" involved in the construction of the village's new library, recently completed at a taxpayer cost of $27.7 million.

"Apparently the library board thought they needed to make the new building out of solid gold and hand-crafted marble," said Dan O' Connell, 35, who along with Angel Diaz, is challenging the Helen M. Plum Memorial Library Board majority in tomorrow's election. "I pledge to deliver to every Lombard taxpayer a full audit of all expenditures, contracts and vendors involved in the construction of the new library."

"Lombard citizens deserve to know how their money is being spent," O'Connell said.

Dan O'Connell is challenging Marshall and Pickett-Floyd for a seat on the Helen M. Plum Library Board. | Dan O'Connell

The library, which is 50,000 square feet, took 5.5 years to build at a cost of $554 per square foot, according to calculations by DuPage Policy Journal.

It was more expensive than other libraries built in nearby communities.

Using inflation-adjusted numbers, Elmhurst opened a new, 80,000 square-foot public library in 2003 that cost $311 per square foot. 

Downers Grove's new, 67,738 square-foot public library opened in 1999 and cost $178 per square foot. And Glen Ellyn opened a new, 52,000 square-foot public library in 1994 that cost $159 per square foot.

"I can tell you that Lombardians are not happy they had to float the bill for this," O'Connell said. "It is by far the most expensive library in west suburban history. They could have built the Glen Ellyn Library three and a half times over for the price of Lombard’s Library."

According to RS Means, the average cost of building a library nationally is $162 per square foot. 

Lombard's library would have cost $8.1 million, a savings of $19.6 million, at that rate.

O'Connell, a civil engineer, and entrepreneur Diaz, are critical of board president Allison Pinkett-Floyd and the current board majority.

Pinkett-Floyd, first elected in 2013, and fellow incumbent Democrats Kristin Aasmundstad-Walsh and Ken Marshall are all on the ballot April 4.

Aasmundstad-Walsh was first elected in 2015 and Marshall, in 2019.

In 2016, Lombard voters approved a referendum to fund a new library, agreeing to raise property taxes to pay for what was then a $22.3 million construction plan.

"Yes" passed with 52.8 percent of the vote (10,471) to 47.2 percent (9,357) voting against.

Also on the ballot tomorrow are Democrats Ginger Kearney and Bijal Patel. 

Existing board members are Jennifer Erickson, Julie Kowalski-Schmidt, Kelly Ann Simms and Susan M. Wiggins.