Michael Sepe Joins Murray, Howard on RVC United Ticket

Michael Sepe has only lived in Rockville Centre since 2005, but as a general litigation lawyer with an office on Clinton Avenue, Sepe has worked on cases for village businesses and contractors and said he knows first hand how restrictive zoning codes have become in the village.

That's something that needs to change if the village wants to grow, he said, and is one of the reasons why Sepe is running for a village board seat in the upcoming June election.

"Our goal is to encourage people to invest in the village while maintaining common sense safeguards," he said.

Sepe said that RVC has gained a reputation as being a difficult place to renovate a home, especially after the board to the zoning code that restricts how tall a house can be, among other changes. Sepe said the modifications were not well thought out and discourages further development in the village.

"We're not the only show in town," Sepe said, alluding to the notion that people might choose to move to other communities over RVC because of the rigidity of its zoning codes. "There's just a lack of basic fairness."

Sepe said he thought it was unfair that the board elected to make the zoning code changes retroactive, which he said put homeowners who had been working on renovations to their homes over the last year in a financial bind.

Sepe also pointed to the adverse impact parking regulations have had on the downtown, its merchants and consumers. "New parking restrictions, with the goal of raising a moderate amount of revenue, have paralyzed business owners, driven away customers and made the village less hospitable," he said. "The last thing we should be doing is adopting policies that scare revenue away from shops."

He added that he'd like to get more resources for the police department since he said crime has become an issue in the village. "That's got to outweigh banning dogs," he said. Sepe also said the village needs to find money to renovate the firehouses, but he can't justify approving a $21 million bond in this economy, considering the village's 2011-12 budget is $39 million.

"I would have liked to see the board take a leadership role on this issue," he said of the board putting the bond up for referendum. 

The village election will be held on June 21 and residents can vote at the recreation center.