By:Angela Marshall
The six candidates for village trustee displayed their differences to voters during a debate run by the League of Women Voters at the Sandel Senior Center last week.
Incumbent Mary Bossart and Concerned Citizens running mates Greg Rinn and Patrick Lagudi called for additional youth programs and an end to delays in revamping the village's zoning code, and expressed concern about the continued supply of electricity to the village.
Home Rule Party members Jack Matthews, Vivian Lewandowski and Fran Murray promoted the need to preserve the quality of life in Rockville Centre and soften the development of Maple Avenue.
Throughout the debate and during interviews in the days following it, Matthews, who was appointed to the board last year to replace Chris Amato, and running mates touted village services and said there is a need to "preserve, promote and maintain" them.
The most pressing issue, according to Bossart, is revamping the zoning code, which she urged during her campaign four years ago. Bossart said the process was going well while the Concerned Citizens had the majority on the Village Board, but change brought about by the 1999 election halted progress. She said progress did not resume until fall 2000, just months before this election season.
Political insiders said Bossart surprised even some in her own party when she announced at the debate that she would like to see the code changed to ban construction of buildings higher than three stories throughout the village. Rinn and Lagudi, however, were not surprised and both said they thought it would be best for the village. "I think we need low sight lines to preserve the residential quality of the village," Rinn said after the debate.
Lagudi agreed, saying that if something wasn't done, then driving down Maple Avenue would begin to look like taking the train into the city.
Home Rule candidates are not in favor of the three-story cutoff - at least, not village-wide. Murray said he could see it in downtown areas like Maple Avenue but not along Sunrise Highway. During an interview, Murray said there are already buildings five or six stories tall on Sunrise Highway and they "help our tax base."
Matthews also thinks large buildings should not be banned everywhere, but that the code should be changed to make sure multi-story buildings are constructed in areas large enough to handle them and their parking needs.
He defended the length of time being taken to redo the codes, saying it is better to do it right the first time.
Lewandowski said she is "generally against" mega-stores in the community but said they might be okay in areas with proper parking and adequate traffic flow.
Future of electric
Candidates of the two parties also disagreed over the severity of the problems facing the village's electric supply.
Although the New York Power Authority is contractually obligated to provide electricity to the village until 2013, a recent study paid for by the village said delivery of the power may be in jeopardy.
The village's own power resources are used only to supplement NYPA's, which is delivered via Long Island Power Authority lines. The study, which was performed by energy consultant Bruce Humenik, reported that because of the finite size of the lines LIPA uses to transport electricity, there may not be enough room for the RVC load in the future.
Several solutions, many of them estimated to cost millions, were recommended. Concerned Citizens members stressed the need for continued study and believe this will be a major concern over the next several years. "We don't want to have brownouts in our village," Rinn said after the debate.
Matthews took a different view. He does not believe the village's electricity is in danger and said the Village Board and administration will take the necessary steps to make sure the problem is dealt with in a fiscally responsible way. Murray and Lewandowski also downplayed the possible problems but did express a desire for continued study.
Youth problems
The problems of RVC youth were again a hot topic. Lagudi has made this the focus of his campaign and stressed the need for more youth-oriented programs in the village and an expansion of the RVC Police Department's youth division.
Lewandowski called for stricter enforcement when youths violate village laws. She also believes a concerted effort should be made to develop the village's playing fields in a way that will benefit both the children and the field's neighbors.
Matthews believes the solution has already begun to take hold. He touted the new youth court, which allows teens to pronounce judgment on peers. He said the peer pressure will make teens police themselves.
Rinn believes troubled youth need role models and said the Village Sportsmanship Committee and youth court are good examples of what needs to be continually tried.
Murray stressed the need for more communication between the different groups in Rockville Centre. "We all need to get together," he said. Murray also wants to see more supervision in certain areas, such as the bridges to Hempstead Lake State Park.
Bossart called for the creation of a formal youth act in the village. She said there is a need to be proactive instead of reactive.
The June 5 candidates debate will be cablecast several times before the election June 19, on the village's Channel 70: 8:30 p.m. Thursday, June 14; 10 a.m. Saturday, June 16, and 2 p.m. Monday, June 18.
