2011 Village Election Q & A

Q: What are your thoughts on what the village’s relationship with the school district should be?

A: Good working relationships must be based on respect, particularly when two institutions serve the residents in different but complementary ways. We both appreciate that residents want the village and Rockville Centre school district to meet their respective needs by coordinating efforts to the extent legally permissible.

For example, I was proud to work on a franchise agreement with Verizon that allows all school district families to view school programming at home, whether they reside in the village or in South Hempstead.

During the last four years, I have enjoyed being part of the reading programs at Wilson, Hewitt and the middle school, working with the Compact Team at Hewitt and attending many school events.

Our public schools are a tremendous resource for the families who live in the village and the quality education they provide is one of the important reasons families move to Rockville

Centre.

School Superintendent Dr. William Johnson and I have met in the past regarding youth alcohol and drug abuse and the intermunicipal cooperation agreement. Currently, we are both concerned about the impact of a 2 percent property tax cap. I anticipate that we will continue to work together as we face numerous challenges ahead.

- Mayor Mary Bossart, Concerned Citizens incumbent

A: “The one issue that affects all others and should not be dismissed as not being “serious” is treating everyone with a certain level of respect and fostering a level of compromise.

Village Hall, our school district, the police and fire departments, the sports programs and our many other organizations must communicate and compromise with each other. Despite what the other side may believe, we are all one community. We all love Rockville Centre and want what’s best for our village. But the message we are getting from the current administration is that we’re separate constituencies.