It looks like the Queens Library is about to be run by the book.
Respected former city Schools Chancellor and Deputy Mayor Dennis Walcott is poised to take over as CEO of the Queens Library, the Daily News has learned.
Walcott, who grew up in Queens, is expected to bring a steady hand to the busy system that was rocked by the free-spending ways of former CEO Thomas Galante.
“We are confident that Dennis Walcott has exactly the right skills and depth of experience to lead the library through the challenging years ahead,” said Carl Koerner and Judith Bergtraum, who served on the Queens Library Board’s search committee.
Walcott was chosen after a six-month national search, officials said.
“I look forward to working with all the fantastic, creative, dynamic staff and friends and visiting every community library, meeting and listening to their ideas and participating in initiatives that make life better and richer for their neighborhoods,” Walcott said. “I have been a lifelong patron of the Queens Library and wholeheartedly believe in the mission of this great institution.”
Walcott’s appointment must still be approved by the state Department of Education. He’s expected to start March 14.
The News first reported that Galante spent $140,000 to renovate his office, including an outdoor private smoking deck. He also charged the library for purchases big and small, including dinners and tickets to concerts and sporting events, according to court papers. Also among the $200,000 in expenses the library has questioned are books he bought for his Kindle, and even a bottle of water and a cup of coffee and a doughnut.
The 64-year-old Walcott served as deputy mayor under Mayor Michael Bloomberg from 2002 to 2011. He took over as the city Schools Chancellor in 2011, when Cathie Black resigned three months after being appointed.
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Last year, Walcott was appointed by state education officials to monitor the beleaguered East Ramapo School District in Rockland County.
Walcott is reportedly scoping out a desk location that will give him access to staffers as well as library patrons. He also is planning to ride the trucks this week as they deliver books around the borough.
He and his wife, Denise, have four children and four grandchildren.
