Mindy Roman appointed as the first female village justice in Rockville Centre

Mindy Roman — who has served as the chief prosecutor for the Village of Rockville Centre for more than a decade — will step into her new role on Nov. 1, as the first woman to serve as village justice in the community’s 130-year history.

“I, along with my administration, have appointed several outstanding women to key positions in the village over the years,” Rockville Centre Mayor Francis Murray announced during his annual Golf and Dinner Classic. “I am extremely excited and honored to add to the list and appoint our first female justice, Mindy Roman.

“Judge (William) Croutier and Judge (Kevin) McDonough were both behind it 100 percent,” the mayor said of Roman’s appointment. “They feel she is the right choice because of her expertise and her commitment to the job.”

Roman’s appointment followed the announcement that McDonough plans to retire at the end of October, after more than two decades of service with the village courts.

“It was a pleasure working with you and the other members of the Village Board of Trustees,” McDonough wrote in a letter to Mayor Murray. “It was an honor to serve alongside Village Justice Bill Croutier for over 14 years. My time with the village court gave me a sense of community and public service for which I will always be grateful.”

He said that had no plans to retire before the end of his term, however, since he and his wife sold their home and plan on moving closer to their daughter in New Jersey, he is precluded from continuing to hold the office.

McDonough has been elected to serve four terms, including defeating Roman, the Concerned Citizens candidate, by a vote of 2,206 to 1,539, in 2009. He said that in terms of picking someone qualified enough to fill his seat, he could not think of a better candidate than Roman.

“She has been a great village prosecutor for Rockville Centre, and that is one reason among many that I believe she will also be a great village justice,” McDonough said. “I am thrilled that she was appointed by Mayor Murray and the Board of Trustees. The residents of Rockville Centre will benefit from Ms. Roman’s dedication, experience, intelligence and common sense.”

Although McDonough is no longer residing in Rockville Centre, he said that he would continue his work as a partner at the law firm Cullen and Dykman in Garden City, where he has counseled universities, colleges, hospitals, religious entities, and not-for-profit institutions in the New York metropolitan area for more than 25 years.

Roman will serve the remainder of McDonough’s term, and a special election will be held for the position in June 2024.

“I have been a prosecutor for the village for 25 years, working with some incredibly wise, compassionate, fair-minded judges — Frank Yanelli, Robert Williams, William Croutier, Jr. and Kevin McDonough,” Roman said in a statement. “To have been chosen to continue in their tradition is an honor and a privilege that I don’t take lightly.”

She moved to Rockville Centre in 1991, and in the 32 years since she earned her degree from Hofstra Law School, she has been a member of the PTA for Hewitt Elementary, South Side Middle School and South Side High School, and presently serves as counsel to the Rockville Centre Planning Board, a village prosecutor and president of Child Abuse Prevention Services.

Roman is an active member of the Nassau County Bar Association and serves as a volunteer in its foreclosure and landlord-tenant programs. She is also a grader for the New York State bar exam and a mediator in the First District Court in Hempstead.

As a special prosecutor, she handles all building code and traffic violations and trains and supervises all deputy village prosecutors. In addition, she is a member of the law firm, Horing, Welikson, Rosen and Digrugilliers, where she specializes in landlord-tenant disputes and represents the Rockville Centre Housing Authority.

“My goals are the same as for any other village justice, I am sure — to be fair, diligent, consistent and wise and to help keep RVC safe and well-maintained,” Roman said. “Above all, I hope to follow the excellent and lofty examples set by the judges I have worked for in RVC Village Court over the years.”

Beyond her professional accomplishments, she is most proud to be the wife of Jon Roman, the mother of three children — Amanda, Carly and Zoe — the mother-in-law of Wyndam and the grandmother of Cameron.

Over the span of her career with the village, Roman has also chaired numerous fundraisers for her children’s schools. She has performed stand-up comedy at numerous PTA events over the years and in 2018, she helped raise more than $80,000 for the South Side High School Post-Prom Committee.

Roman also volunteers her time to help mentor graduating South Side High School seniors every year and invites students to work in her office and accompany her to court for two weeks in May as part of the Alternatives for Senior Students Exiting South Side Program.