The Geneva Library Board has selected Zachary Ploppert, a 24-year-old resident of the city with previous civic experience, as its new trustee.
Ploppert, a fourth-grade teacher at H.C. Storm in Batavia, replaces Steve Andersson, who resigned his library board seat to run for the state representative seat up this November. Andersson is unopposed.
The library board appointed Ploppert from a slate of six candidates. He can choose to run for a full term when the seat is up for election in 2015.
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“I think Zach will bring a fresh perspective to the Board,” board president Esther Steel said in an email. “He is very thoughtful and enthusiastic about serving. He also understands the changing needs of our District.”
Ploppert served on the city’s Strategic Plan Advisory Committee and its Historic Preservation Commission. He said he resigned from the two committees to avoid any perceived conflict of interest. Ploppert has also run twice unsuccessfully for city council.
Ploppert said he was interested in the library seat because he thinks a strong library district is vital to a strong community, and he said he’ll bring a different perspective to the current board.
He’ll be the only trustee who grew up with technology from childhood, he said. He’s been visiting the library throughout his 24 years in Geneva, doing everything from participating in summer reading programs as a child to using its resources today to prepare for the classroom, he said.
The other candidates for the position were Jennifer Bruggeman, Robert McQuillan, William Broderick, Ellen Fultz Schmid and Charles O. Ellenbaum.