Late yesterday, RIOC said in a press release that President/CEO Shelton J. Haynes and Chief Counsel Gretchen Robinson had been placed on “paid administrative leave.” While the charges are vague, they provoked reactions from anger to gobsmacked.
by David Stones
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
The Press Release Regarding Haynes and Robinson by the RIOC Board
“The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) Board of Directors received notice of several employee concerns about the RIOC workplace. The Board has determined that it is necessary to conduct a review of these concerns by way of an outside professional. During this review, Shelton Haynes (RIOC CEO) and Gretchen Robinson (RIOC General Counsel) will be placed on administrative paid leave.
“During this period of review, the day-to-day operations of RIOC will be overseen by an interim leadership team that includes Dhruvika Patel Amin (RIOC’s Chief Financial Officer & Vice President) and Gerrald Ellis (RIOC’s Assistant Vice President & Deputy General Counsel). In addition, RIOC Board member and Audit Committee Chair, Howard Polivy, will serve as a dedicated Board member liaison and will provide additional support to the interim leadership. No further comments about this matter will be made by the RIOC Board until the review is completed. We thank all of our RIOC staff for your full cooperation and support during this period of time.”
The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation Board of Directors
Here at The Daily, our first reaction was, What took so long? Official – and unofficial – complaints as well as lawsuits targeting the pair piled up for over a year. The board, taking its cue from Albany, acted as if they were nothing more than water off a duck’s back.
What changed? The press release mentions only “…employee concerns about the RIOC workplace,” but nothing more. No indication of anything new topping the already accumulated pile of grief.
Something New Suggesting Change
For the first time in years, the information regarding Haynes and Robinson arrived by way of a press release shared with local media. We’d been shut out by Haynes with no objections from the board or Team Hochul. Now, for a change, we could spread the word ourselves without RIOC “controlling the narrative.”
Ironically, RIOC’s Operations Committee meets publicly this afternoon with communications being the prime topic.
Public reactions were immediate, starting with a measured response from State Senator Liz Krueger.
I respect the decision of the RIOC Board, which exists to look after the wellbeing of Roosevelt Island. Now, we must await the conclusion of the investigation. The Board has access to information and details to which I am not privy. However, I do know that RIOC is a public benefit corporation, and it is the responsibility of each of its employees, from top to bottom, as public servants, to act in the best interest of the community. I will continue to do all I can to assure RIOC functions as it should, particularly during this challenging time.
State Senator Liz Krueger
In a lawsuit, Haynes and Robinson accused Krueger along with State Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright – without evidence – of taking part in a vast racist backlash targeting them.
Seawright added…
The residents of Roosevelt Island are entitled to a full and timely independent review of RIOC workplace and personnel practices. This should be aimed at impacting on service delivery and program effectiveness as well as accountability for the work environment.
State Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright.
Full Disclosure: This writer was individually accused in the same lawsuit of fomenting the racist backlash in support of former President/CEO Susan Rosenthal.
What They’re Saying About Haynes and Robinson
“My head is spinning,” said the first Roosevelt Islander who responded, but others followed, including former employees.
“I’m hopeful that this will mark a turning point for Roosevelt Island residents,” said Roosevelt Island CB8 representative Paul Krikler. “I can already see moves afoot to improve the communication between residents and RIOC.”
“Wow,” said another observer. “This is long past due. These exact same complaints have been made against them for years.”
“Finally, but a year and a half too late,” said another, cognizant of major staff losses and resulting mismanagement.
“Thank you for sharing.” a nonprofit manager said. “Hardly unexpected, but also hard to understand why it took so long for NYS to notice that their employees were spending so much time and resources not working on the actual duties at hand.”
And there was bitterness…
“Paid leave? So they are being rewarded for their incompetence and race-hustling by getting a free expenses-paid vacation? They can go forever paying $1/4M salaries plus benefits to these losers.”
No one spoke up in support or defense of Haynes or Robinson.
Finally…
An important note: While Haynes and Robinson stand accused of known as well as unknown abuses, no firm conclusions have been made. This is an investigation, not a verdict.
The Haynes administration at RIOC has been tumultuous. Valuable employees have been lost, usually fired for questionable reasons, and Roosevelt Island is awash in negligence – from the Tram to the Red Buses and the AVAC.
Former Chief Financial Officer, John O’Reilly, quietly accepted being bypassed in favor of Haynes despite far greater qualifications. When COVID hit hard, with Haynes in over his head, O’Reilly all but ran RIOC, then ended up attacked instead of honored.
Although not without critics, 18-year veteran Erica Spencer-EL created or expanded Roosevelt Island events and features. She worked with RIVAA, creating the Motorgate Gallery and expanding the Island of Art concept. But she was summarily dismissed for an ancient resume mistake. Along with her went Amy Smith and Jessica Cerone, convicted apparently of being Spencer-EL’s friends.
Staff attorney Arthur Eliav lost his 17-year job after insisting that Robinson comply with freedom of information laws, according to his detailed lawsuit.
The list is long… Susan Rosenthal, Jonna Carmon-Graf, Terrence McCauley, Karline Jean, Robert Henry, Akeem Jamal…
We’ll say it again: What the hell took so long, allowing for so much pain and damage? When all is said and done, RIOC’s board needs to take a long look at itself. Haynes and Robinson were not the only ones at the wheel.
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There are two truths in public governance. Timelines do not lie. And silence is often the loudest answer.
