By NEAL RENTZ
Pound Ridge voters reelected an incumbent Library Board of Trustees member, elected a former trustee and two new members Tuesday.
Four seats with various terms were up for election. They begin their terms Oct. 1, with those who won full terms serving through Sept. 30, 2026.
Former trustee Richard Levan finished on top with 43 votes; first-time candidate Bob Bellhouse received 41 votes; incumbent Jenna Wise was reelected with 38 votes and first-time candidate, Alexandra Gallo-Cook, won the fourth seat with 34 votes. Another former trustee, Richard Esman, fell just short of winning a seat, receiving 31 votes.
The tallies included absentee ballots.
There was no public vote on the $774,297 2025 budget.
“No vote is necessary if the budget is not increased,” Library Director Jennifer Coulter said earlier this week. It is the eighth year in a row with no budget increase, she noted.
“I’m honored to continue as a trustee in a second term,” Wise, who has been a trustee for two years, said Wednesday. “We will continue to elevate the library’s many offerings as a beacon of the Pound Ridge community for inspiration and learning. As a mom of two, I’m excited to represent the needs of young families as the library continues to modernize.”
Bellhouse, who has lived in town for nearly 25 years, stated in the biography he submitted to the library, that in 2006 he established a management consulting company. In 2012 he co-founded MouthWatch LLC, which he stated is “the leading supplier of specialized camera equipment to the U.S. dental industry and the first nationwide ‘virtual-first’ dental care organization.”
“Living in Pound Ridge continues to enrich,” Bellhouse wrote. “I would like to give something back by serving on the Board of Trustees of the Pound Ridge Library.”
Esman stated in his biography he has lived in Pound Ridge for more than 33 years. He served on the Library Board from 2016 to 2022 and was president from 2019 to 2022.
Gallo-Cook’s biography stated that she has been a town resident since 2021. Growing up, she “developed a lifelong love for libraries, spending much of her youth in nearby libraries in Putnam County.”
In middle school she volunteered in a local tutoring program. Gallo-Cook worked in various library positions during her undergraduate and law school years. She “is thrilled to have such a vibrant and resourceful library in her community, with its diverse programming serving residents of all ages,” her biography stated. “She is committed to supporting and expanding these offerings as a member of the library Board of Trustees.”
Professionally, Gallo-Cook Lexie is an attorney with Mintz Levin in Manhattan, where she specializes in complex commercial litigation matters. Outside of work, she is a volunteer with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, most recently serving on the executive committee for the annual Big Climb event.
Levan is an attorney and 11-year Pound Ridge resident.
“I previously had the pleasure and privilege of serving a three-year term on the Pound Ridge Library Board,” he stated in his biography. “I developed a keen appreciation for the needs of the library and the community it serves, as well as a strong understanding of how to meet those needs. As a trustee, I will bring a community-centric approach to the post with particular emphasis on ensuring that our library continues to evolve as a library of and for the future.”
Levan noted that he “has spent considerable time visiting libraries both locally and regionally to meet with librarians to discuss how best a library can evolve and adapt to changing times. I view this as a primary mission of the Library Board.”
Levan said he wanted to provide a better parking situation for library patrons.
In her biography, Wise stated she was an award-winning marketer, works at Meta in product marketing, strategizing for small businesses’ growth. She also advises female-led brands.
Wise has been on the library board for the past two years and “has closely partnered with the staff and board to reimagine the library’s digital presence and communication strategies,” her biography stated.
She described herself as an avid reader and writer who studied creative writing at Hamilton College.
“The library has been a beacon of community and inspiration for Jenna since she moved to Pound Ridge” in 2021, she wrote.
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