Bunker mode fits as well with New York’s Open Meetings Law as a whale on a shrimp boat. They’re antithetical. One reveals things; the other hides them. But controlled by an irresponsible governor and a board of virtual lacky arthropods, it’s what we’re likely to get for the foreseeable future. No one within that framework has any interest in revealing any more information than the legal minimum.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
An Agenda for the RIOC Board Meeting on May 19th at 5:30 Online
Here is what a public agency is supposed to do at such a meeting supposed to do. You decide if this is happening as required.
The Sunshine Law, also known as the Open Meetings Law, is supposed to ensure that the public has access to the decision-making process of governmental bodies.
For the public to have faith in government, they must be able to see how decisions are made and have an opportunity to influence the decision-making process.
The law is designed to allow the public to see and hear what goes on inside the government so that they can hold their officials accountable.
What is RIOC’s agenda for the May 19th meeting?
The agenda for the May 19th meeting of the RIOC Board has been released, and it contains very little in the way of actual business:
- Authorization to Enter into Contract with MKW + Associates, LLC for Design Services in Connection with the Blackwell Park Phase II Project (Board ActionRequired)
- Authorization to Enter into Contract with GRM Information Management Services Inc. for Records Storage and Digital Management (Board Action Required – Materials to Follow)
- President’s Report – Usually hot air with President Haynes assuring an uninquisitive board that everything is just peachy. Snooze alert.
If you’ve managed to stay awake through this soul-crushing romp of irrelevance, what remains challenges your continued consciousness.
Committee Reports that follow will be filled with “Did not meet,” as they have for many moons because they haven’t. No open meetings law announcements were made during this period.
But one report is enlightening…
Committee Reports
- Public Safety Report – Here you find that more than 70% of their attention goes to standing by while EMS workers do their jobs, non-criminal investigations (whatever they are) and running a lost and found.
Roosevelt Islanders are charged $4 million a year for this. The department, made up of a claimed 50 individuals, handled an average of 600 incidents. That’s 12 per person over 30 days. That is, less than one incident every two days.
But then, the fun begins with yet another Executive Session where the public gets kicked out. Given the avalanche of firings and resignations on Haynes’s watch, the board has plenty to discuss.
Chair’s Motion for Executive Session
- Discussion of the medical, financial, credit or employment history of a particular person or corporation, or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal or removal of a particular person or corporation.
Overcome Bunker Mode by Having Your Say
As reported before, at the start of every board meeting, ahead of the agenda, RIOC allows anyone wishing to make a statement before the board time to do so. Under normal circumstances, you’d register and be called in turn to make your statement.
But these are not normal times. So, now, you get to write it out in a form on the state’s website, and it will be read by an official at the meeting.
Access this opportunity at Speak Up. Good, bad or indifferent, let the board know what’s on your mind. You must completer your statement before 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 18th.
Also by the roosevelt island daily news
- Queens News and Community Updates Affecting Roosevelt Island ResidentsFor Roosevelt Island residents, Queens news and community updates are both close and relevant. From local incidents to new openings and street safety, see how city events shape our days.
- How Roosevelt Island Reflects New York’s Big Moments This WeekThis week, see how Roosevelt Island reflects New York’s big moments, from citywide sports wins and parades to local voting and youth programs.
- How Roosevelt Island Reflects a City on the MoveDiscover how Roosevelt Island reflects a city on the move, capturing the currents of New York through neighborhood routines, sports celebrations, and community moments.
- Keeping Steady Through City Currents: How Roosevelt Island Residents Stay ConnectedNew York’s shifting news often impacts daily routines on the island. Discover how Roosevelt Island residents stay connected through city changes and local events.
- Neighborhood Notes: Weekly Changes and Community Moments Across Roosevelt Island and BeyondNeighborhood notes on weekly changes and community moments across Roosevelt Island and neighboring areas, including emergency response, community events, new developments, and local reflections.
The Line That Didn’t Land
I stood in the back of Good Shepherd Chapel on the evening of April 15, 2026, at the Steam Plant Demolition Town Hall, watching people adjust scarves and jackets before the meeting began. Benjamin Jones, President and CEO of RIOC, thanked us for attending and, without a pause, said he was “pleased to host tonight’s town hall on the city’s demolition of its steam plant.” The demolition, in other words, was not up for discussion.
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