The Roosevelt Island Daily confirmed, this morning, that RIOC fired two longtime staff members. No public notice appeared nor are we currently aware of the cause or causes.
By David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
RIOC Fired Karline Jean and Arthur Eliav
Although the cause for her firing is unknown, Executive Assistant Karline Jean had a troubled relationship with President/CEO Shelton J. Haynes. She expressed her dissatisfaction with “being bullied and working in a hostile environment” at RIOC.
Jean’s dismissal was startling because she has served RIOC in a variety of capacities for 21 years, most recently in the Legal Department. In 2020, her email to state officials kicked off the investigation resulting in then CEO Susan Rosenthal’s firing.
Eliav was also active in complaints surrounding the firing of Rosenthal, but since that was 18 months ago, it does not seem to figure in his own dismissal. Why RIOC fired him remains unknown, for now.
Full Disclosure: I have known Arthur Eliav for years and butted heads with him five years ago over a real estate conflict.
Making Eliav’s departure equally puzzling is his similarly long tenure at the state agency. Hired almost immediately after graduation at Cardozo Law School in Manhattan, Eliav served RIOC for 15 years. Before losing his job, her served as Associate General Counsel, earning $150K annually.
This is breaking news, and we will update as information becomes available.
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Still Searching: Transparency Delayed at RIOC
New York’s Freedom of Information Law rests on a basic principle: government records belong to the public unless an agency can identify a lawful reason to withhold them. For Roosevelt Island residents, that right matters because RIOC controls public land, infrastructure, transportation, contracts and development without functioning as a locally elected government.
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