Already shaky, RIOC posted a board agenda for December that’s loaded with stinkers without a hint of optimism anywhere. After approving an unworthy promotion and a deeply flawed budget, the board recedes into a secretive executive session where they can deal with the endless onslaught of lawsuits.

by David Stone

The Roosevelt Island Daily News

The Board Agenda: One at a Time

Who knows what Roosevelt Islanders will say during the public session where they’re allowed to speak to mostly stone-faced board members? But they’ve been lively lately, and a couple of new members have cracked the ice.

Then, observers may be treated to yet another wrangle over prior meeting minutes which anywhere else is routine. The interest here pits board member Ben Fhala against Chief Counsel Gretchen Robinson. Robinson’s annoyance has been featured recently, and now, she along with President/CEO Shelton J. Haynes is suing him, among others, for alleged racism.

Agenda Item #1: Promoting Mary Cunneen as Chief Operating Officer

You can debate the merits of Cunneen’s qualifications and performance, but these things are true:

• As Acting COO, Cunneen has presided over RIOC’s historically bad and community-disconnected period. Reports of poor performance plus failures in communications, transparency and accountability pile up, one after another. Who gets a permanent appointment with that?
• Early in her RIOC tenure, using questionable purchasing practices, Cunneen ordered the removal of two beloved old-growth trees from the Rivercross Lawn.
• In 2019, Cunneen fronted an aggressive effort to run the Wildlife Freedom Foundation’s sanctuary out of Southpoint Park by denying the animals water. Stuck in the middle of a preposterously shifting RIOC rationale, its communication directed blamed the confusion on staffers lying to him.
• Cunneen acted as point person in the Swift Emergency Medical operation where a good idea became an investigation target. Reported use statistics were not viable, and board approval was not sought until months after hundreds of thousands were spent.

Enough said. If this is the best RIOC can find for a vital position, then Bob’s your uncle.

Board Agenda #2: The Budget for 2024 – 25

For fault finders, RIOC’s proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning in April is a gift of abundance. There are a pair of head-spinning flaws that ought to be enough to trashcan the entire deal.

• Ten Missing Public Safety Officers – As reported earlier, RIOC’s proposed budget includes funding for 52 folks in the Public Safety Department. But rosters obtained by FOIL reveal that they never get within 10 of that. RIOC does not explain where that money – over three-quarters of a million dollars – really goes. More importantly, what responsible, professional accountant – including the state’s Budget Director – signs off on this every year?
• Cramped Tram Cabins – Tram revenues will jump by “$2,455,439 or 53.06% mainly due to the adoption of OMNY and ridership increase.” Balancing the budget depends heavily on this fantasy of jamming even more people into overcrowded cabins. But experience undermines it. For October, with OMNY fully in play, Tram revenue fell below that received for the same month in 2022.

We asked an expert to take a look.

“How do they plan on increasing revenue year over year to get to $50 million plus? And how do they plan on making up a $10 million negative cash balance? It will have to come from no more capital improvements. And what are the details behind $7 million in tram revenue?”

Again, enough said. There’s more, but you get the idea. How can any responsible board member vote “Yes” on this?

• Right on Track: The F Train Shutdown for Roosevelt Island Made Simple
• RIOC Promotes Mary Cunneen, Staffer with a “History.” UPDATED.
• The Critical Week Ahead for RIOC and Roosevelt Island
• Local Scene: The way we are. The Roosevelt Island Bridge
• How Will RIOC Fill All the Holes in Its September 2023 Agenda?

Last But Not Least – The Legal Tangle

The final item on the board agenda is an executive section for discussing (?) legal issues. The public and media get kicked out. That’s too bad because it should be a circus.

The big issue now before this gaggle of feuding egos is a lawsuit, amended last Friday, from Haynes and Robinson accusing the Governor’s Office, RIOC itself, multiple public officials, Roosevelt Islanders and board member Ben Fhala of coordinating a vast racist conspiracy against them.

The mother of all RIOC conspiracy theories – leaving a community ungoverned – is widely regarded as a Hail Mary pass intended to save the jobs of RIOC’s top executives. Their accusations are wild and off the wall but have, so far, succeeded in that objective despite numerous lawsuits and investigations involving their activities.

Finally…

This morass is what RIOC under Governor Kathy Hochul has descended into. She and her minion either ignored or pushed back against every suggestion of change.

The most any Roosevelt Islander can do is cross his or her fingers and pray for miracles. Common sense and competence do not have any influence at RIOC.

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