Rockville Centre village elections set for June 20

The Rockville Centre village election will be held next Tuesday, June 20. This year’s ballot includes four offices — mayor, two trustees and the village justice — all of which have four-year terms.
Mayor Francis Murray is seeking his fourth term, in an unopposed race. He was first elected in 2011, defeating then incumbent Mary Bossart by a wide margin.
During his 12-year mayoralty, Murray has helped stop aggressive ticketing after 6 p.m., established better relations between the village and community services and schools, improved local ball fields, and worked to build businesses downtown. He served as president of the New York State Conference of Mayors, representing more than 575 cities and villages.
“It is very important that people come out to vote,” Murray said. “It has been 12 years after I ran the first time, and I’m just as excited now to continue the great work we started in 2011 of rebuilding the village.”
His administration has helped replace a fleet of service vehicles with new police trucks and fire engines, planted hundreds of trees downtown, and continued to improve local infrastructure with the addition of new water mains, curbs and drainage systems.

And by adopting a more aggressive approach to grant applications, the village has been the recipient of $50 million in grant funding for the community.
“Rockville Centre is a very wonderful place … it is currently ranked the 18th safest village in the country with a population of 25,000 people or more,” Murray said. “I look forward to continuing to make it a good place to work, shop and raise a family.”
The mayor said he believes he has a great team behind him, and that with its help and guidance, he will continue to make the village even better over the next four years.
Deputy Mayor Kathy Baxley was appointed to her position in 2017, when Nancy Howard — now the village administrator — announced plans to move to Florida. She later returned and served as a trustee on the board from July 2019 to July 2021.
Baxley won a special election in 2018, and secured a four-year term in the regular election the following year.
“I've been on the board for six years,” said Baxley, who is also running unopposed, “and I’ve worked very hard to make improvements and build community connections with programs like music on the green and the classic car show. Those are important to me. Creating happy things for villagers to enjoy. And all of them are at no cost to the community.”
A South Side High School alumna, Baxley served the community for years before becoming deputy mayor. She taught fourth- and sixth-graders at Oceanside School No. 5 and at St. Leo’s Parochial School in Queens before coming to United Nursery School in Rockville Centre. She is a past president of the Parent Teacher Associations of Jennie E. Hewitt Elementary School and South Side Middle School as well as the Rockville Centre Council of PTAs.
Baxley is also liaison to senior services and an officer of the Rockville Centre Breast Cancer Coalition, the Community Fund and the Sponsors of the Arts.
“I always try to be very responsive to residents’ concerns and needs, and I do my best to get back to them as soon as I can,” she said. “As an elected representative, I work really hard to show them I’m there.”
During her tenure with the village, Baxley said, the board has been very diligent about spending to minimize costs for taxpayers, worked closely with village services, and made several improvements while maintaining transparency.
At the village board meeting on June 5, Trustee Michael Sepe announced that after 12 years on the board, he would not seek re-election this year.
Gregory P. Shaughnessy is running unopposed for Sepe’s seat.
“It really has been a pleasure,” Sepe said. “It doesn’t matter that they’re running unopposed. This group will gauge the response of this village and its residents and be informed in their future decisions by turning out. Gregory Shaughnessy is going to be a fantastic trustee … you could not be in better hands.”
Shaughnessy, a member of the Board of Zoning appeals for nearly seven years, will be running for his first term as a trustee. Over the past several years, he said, he has gained a unique perspective on local issues and concerns, particularly as they apply to zoning matters.
“I want to work with my peers on the Board of Trustees to review our Village Codes to ensure they reflect and address the desires and concerns of our residents,” Shaughnessy said in a statement. “I feel I have a good understanding of what many of my neighbors enjoy about our village and what concerns them, but I will certainly look for more input from others to help develop additional goals.”
He has also been involved in a variety of community groups in Rockville Centre, including youth sports programs and religious groups.
“I believe the current Board has been very effective,” Shaughnessy continued in his statement, “so I look forward to joining them in keeping this Village the wonderful community it is.”
Justice William Croutier, Jr., who is also running without opposition, has been in the position for four terms, and has also served as a special prosecutor for the village and as a deputy village attorney. He has been a lecturer for the Nassau County and state bar associations, and chaired both the Rockville Centre We Care September 11th Committee and the September 11th Memorial Committee. He is also a past president of the Nassau County Magistrates Association.
The election will be held at the John A. Anderson Recreation Center, at 111 N. Oceanside Road. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.