Newark Public Library’s board has authority under its bylaws to appoint the library director, while the mayor is now considering concerns about how the board conducted its search. The board selected Sonia Alcántara-Antoine on Oct. 1 in a 4-2 vote, with two abstentions. AFSCME Local 2298 subsequently asked Mayor Ras J. Baraka to investigate the search and board governance, according to TAPinto Newark. The library system has seven branches.
Who has authority over the director’s appointment
The Newark Public Library Board of Trustees’ bylaws assign the board responsibility for appointing and employing a qualified director. They also give the director responsibility for staffing, management, programs and fiscal operations, subject to board review, and require five trustees to be present in person for a quorum. The union’s request is for Baraka to examine the board’s conduct; the appointment itself was made by the board.
The dispute centers in part on a Sept. 23 closed session, a recording of which was mistakenly posted on the library’s public website and removed Nov. 2. TAPinto Newark reported that trustees discussed two finalists, Alcántara-Antoine and Sarah Lester. The outlet reported that board member Rosemary Steinbaum considered Alcántara-Antoine a strong candidate but thought choosing Lester would bring fewer difficulties; Steinbaum also anticipated press attention and a need to manage its consequences if Alcántara-Antoine were chosen. The board later appointed Alcántara-Antoine.
Union representation and the mayor’s review
In its Nov. 2 letter to Baraka, AFSCME Local 2298 objected that the director-search committee had no union representative, TAPinto Newark reported. The committee included Theresa Wright, interim assistant director of human resources, and Paula Baratta, chief librarian for programs and outreach. The union says both are administration members and therefore do not qualify as union representatives. Steinbaum told TAPinto Newark that staff had opportunities to give feedback at candidate forums and that union members were not excluded.
Baraka told TAPinto Newark that he had started discussing the complaints with board members and would look into them. He said the letter would not by itself reverse the hiring decision or result in the board being entirely reconstituted, but that the administration could consider asking trustees to resign. He also said he had received a separate letter from a board member expressing concerns about the search and board governance. Alcántara-Antoine’s start date was still pending at the time of TAPinto Newark’s report, and she had not yet begun the role.
Questions about the candidate’s previous leadership
The union has also raised concerns about Alcántara-Antoine’s previous leadership in Baltimore County. The Baltimore Banner reported that she fired 14 part-time librarians and that they were rehired two days later after public backlash. At a library board meeting, Alcántara-Antoine accepted responsibility for the decision and said it had damaged trust in the system, according to The Banner. TAPinto Newark reported that Newark union president Beth Zak-Cohen said the Baltimore County union had warned Newark staff about Alcántara-Antoine’s approach to employees and unions.
Leadership turnover in Newark
The appointment comes after several changes in the library’s top leadership. Jeffrey Trzeciak led the system from 2017 to 2019 before leaving for the Jersey City Public Library. Thomas Alrutz was interim director from 2019 to 2020; Joslyn Bowling Dixon then served as director from 2020 to 2022, when the board asked her to resign. Ingrid Betancourt later served as interim director. TAPinto Newark reported that Sarah Wiggins became interim director in October 2025 and submitted her resignation on Sept. 14 without giving a reason. Union members have speculated that Wiggins left after not being considered for the permanent position; that explanation has not been confirmed.
Christian Zabriskie took the director position in July 2023 at a salary of $180,000. In August 2025, the board voted 5-0, with three abstentions and one trustee absent, to terminate him and give 90 days’ notice effective Nov. 6, 2025. NJ.com reported that the board did not publicly explain the firing. The outlet also reported that trustees had privately expressed concern about transparency on a Springfield Branch expansion and the timing of copies of a proposed labor contract.
