By Tiffany Razzano and Jacquie Rath
"Many people feel they aren't represented in government," Grasing said in her opening remarks. "People don't always trust government. Whoever wins will have the majority [vote] - use it wisely."
With 60 or so residents in attendance, Grillo and Sullivan gave what were supposed to be two-minute opening statements. Sullivan, who has been president of the Residents' Voice Party, remained seated while addressing the crowd. Her statement about her candidacy ran to four minutes, as she used her first two minutes to discuss the benefits of the Hispanic Brotherhood and to explain that she had to leave early due to a prior commitment. She was granted an additional two minutes to detail her biograph for the audience.
Sullivan told listeners that she was born and raised in Rockville Centre, attended St. Agnes School and Sacred Heart Academy and graduated from Manhattan College with a degree in government, politics and urban affairs. She has three children at St. Agnes, and is a member of various village civic organizations. She made clear her opposition to overdevelopment in the village.
Grillo stood to address the group. He described himself as apolitical, not a member of any party in the village until he accepted Mayor Eugene Murray's endorsement for this campaign. He detailed how he and his neighbors banded together to fight an oversized home being built on an undersized lot on their street.
Grillo, a father of three, said he wants to see Rockville Centre thrive. He described the behavior in village board meetings as uncivil, and said he doesn't like the direction the village is heading.
Parking in the village was a popular topic. The construction of a parking garage near the Long Island Rail Road station is one potential - and controversial - solution to parking problems. Grillo thinks a garage is a good idea if it is done right, with two levels, "green" space on top, and built over an existing commuter lot. He also pointed out that the Residents' Voice Party has been attacking him for merely entertaining the idea of a garage, which he said would cost the village $10,000 per space, as opposed to the millions of dollars Residents' Voice claims it would cost. Grillo also said that the reallocation of parking spots around the village could solve the problem of overcrowding in certain lots.
Sullivan stated that she felt reallocation could be the solution, but she gave a definitive no to the parking garage, saying that such a development doesn't belong in Rockville Centre. Citing a recent parking garage built in Long Beach that, she said, cost the city $11 million for 160 spots, Sullivan believes that a parking garage would be a great burden on taxpayers. "The people don't want a garage," she said.
Many of the questions asked at the forum involved the role of minorities in the village. Both Grillo and Sullivan expressed their support for minorities, and both said that further work with the Hispanic Brotherhood would be a good way to bridge the gap between minorities, who feel they are under-represented in the village government, and Village Hall. It was suggested that the Brotherhood serve as intermediary on all issues for minorities when they approach the government.
After Sullivan departed, Grillo held the floor for another 15 minutes, mostly addressing the issue of constantly increasing school taxes. "There's a large percentage of seniors with a fixed income being killed by school taxes," he said, though he pointed out that the Rockville Centre School District sees only a small percentage of what residents pay, with the majority of tax revenues going to schools upstate.
"Too many families are being forced out of Rockville Centre," Grillo said. "There are too many families who can't get in that are trying to."
