Four people will be seeking two seats on the Rockville Centre Village Board on Tuesday, June 18. The election is at-large, meaning the two candidates with the highest votes will serve on the board for four years. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at the Anderson Recreation Center on North Oceanside Road.
Marc Wieman, a candidate for trustee, sent the following responses to Patch’s candidate questionnaire.
Tell us about yourself (age, town, profession, family, etc.)
I graduated from The University of Dayton in 1978 and St. John’s Law School in 1981. I have lived in RVC since 1986. I spent the largest portion of my legal career working in the government sector. I was at the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) for 13 years and the Nassau County Attorney’s Office for 6. This gave me tremendous insights into how governments work, and why sometimes they don’t. In between I was employed by American International Group (AIG), which gave me a private sector perspective as well. I am currently retired.
Why are you running for the village board?
I believe being an elected official is being in the “public service.” This is my opportunity to serve the community. I have seen, first hand, how RVC comes together in a time of crises, pitching in to aid those who have been affected. I view being trustee as a chance to give back to us. To help those who are always willing to pitch in and help others. This is a giving, caring community and that is part of what I bring to the table — a sense of giving and caring about our community. Rockville Centre is a great place to live. I seek to make RVC an even better place to live, worthy of the great people who live here.
What qualifies you to serve on the village board?
My combination of government and private sector experience, as well as the fact that I am not an “insider.” I bring fresh eyes and a fresh perspective to the position.
What is your opinion of the budget that was recently passed by the village board? What you have done something differently with it?
I am concerned about the rise in parking fees, which seems a cover-up for the loss in revenue that resulted from ending the use of meters at 6 p.m. Perhaps re-instituting the meters, but allow parking for 3 or 4 hours to permit people to go to dinner or a movie. I also think that lobbying Albany to get them to help shoulder the burden of rising retirement and health care costs should be a priority. These costs are sapping more than 10% of budget.
What do you think of the current parking situation in the village? How would you address it?
Parking is the biggest issue confronting the village. In order to keep the downtown area growing and thriving, there must be more parking. There are competing interests — commuters, residents, visitors. And no solution is going to make everyone happy. But by doing nothing, everyone is unhappy. A parking garage is the obvious solution, but all solutions must be vigorously investigated. Lack of parking has already kept businesses from renting some of our vacant space.
Do you have any ideas as to how to continue to attract business to Rockville Centre?
Parking, parking, parking. Unless we can demonstrate to new businesses that there will be adequate parking for their patrons, new business will be reluctant to move to Rockville Centre.
Aside from those mentioned above, what do you think is the biggest issue facing the village?
The biggest issue facing the residents of RVC is school taxes. This extraordinarily high burden is causing older residents to flee the village and prevents younger families from moving in. This costs RVC the economic diversity of residents that we’ve already had. Village government needs to sit down with the school board and work together to see if the tax burden on our residents can be reduced, not increased.
What is the village’s greatest strength and weakness?
RVC’s greatest strength is the caring of our community. Whether it was the terrorist attacks of 9/11 or the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, we pulled together to help those who were adversely affected. It was a wonderful sight to behold. Weaknesses? The Board of Trustees doesn’t have me on it.
If you are elected, what is the one thing you’d like to see accomplished during your term?
I would like to see a parking garage built.
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