Main Street Democrats Club creates a needs list for Mayor Eric Adams
When Mayor Adams visited Roosevelt Island in September, he asked for a list of community needs to make local life better. With a long history of being pushed aside and ignored by the state, via RIOC, Roosevelt Island is part of New York City, and Adams promised to help.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
Last summer, local activist Joyce Short recognized the significance of political clubs in steering party agendas. She along with Lynne Shinozaki and others created Main Street Democrats, a club for promoting a Roosevelt Island agenda.
Following Mayor Adams’s visit in September, she began gathering responses to his request for a list of local needs. It’s a given that he can’t get after all of them, but he promised to try.
To that end, the club is gathering a list of Roosevelt Islanders’ priorities for the mayor. She wants your preferences. Here’s her message soliciting your input:
Roosevelt Islanders: What Do You Want?
Here are the latest standings on our action items list for Mayor Adams – in the order of votes received.
The original numbers will remain alongside each item until the final count is in. Please use the corresponding number when you make your selections. Select up to 5 items in the order of their importance to you.
1. An elected, not appointed, RIOC (KIM– The Mayor gets to suggest 2 RIOC Reps to the Governor.)
2. A community review board to handle complaints against the Public Safety Department
3. A real police officer, either NYPD or a State Police Officer, 24/7 on Roosevelt Island
4. Better RIOC interaction with the community
5. A bank located in the community
6. A healthcare facility located in the community
7. Residence cards issued to give priority to return home on the tram or by car when there are long lines
8. More time allotted for resident access to our parks and facilities
9. Better control of the homeless population
10. Fix the garage lights so pigeons can’t roost on them
11. Supports for composting and recycling.
12. A CitiBike station at 888 Main Street
13. Fix the Main Street potholes
14. Support the Gardens
Here are new additions to the list:
15. Fix the areas where flooding occurs
16. Provide appropriately maintained dog parks at the North and South of the Island
17. Allow off-leash hours, early morning and evening, at Lighthouse and South Point Parks
18. Create Pickle Ball courts
19. Create a hospitable environment for commercial businesses
20. Allow food stands, (Ice cream trucks, etc., on the Island)
Please circulate this list to your network of Roosevelt Islanders and ask them to participate! The deadline is midnight, Sunday, 10/16.
So far…. the overwhelming concern for Islanders is ELECTING RIOC DIRECTORS. It has been #1 on everyone’s list!
Send your choices to jm_short@ymail.com.
Thank you.
On naming, neglect, and the quiet work that keeps things standing
About twenty years ago, there was Harbor Police activity near the water, just south of the subway entrance. At the time, no one really thought of it as a pier, though technically there was a small boardwalk there. Of course it wasn’t a pier. A pier implies intention.
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