A Shelton J. Haynes affidavit, aimed at reinstatement and a halt to investigations, may be legal, but it’s a political blunder. Win or lose, it undermines his claims to power while it underscores his me-first view of the world.
by David Stone
Right out of the box, let’s be clear about one thing. No evidence exists to our knowledge of any criminality on Haynes’s part. That was claimed in an online post, last year, that he notes in his filing. That derives from a malicious, poorly researched and organized We Deserve Better attack with anonymous sources.
Extreme overreach like that undermines objective criticism of Haynes, which is fair and richly deserved. His overt and implied claims of Trump-like immunity, based solely on skin color, jar just as badly.
They are everywhere in the Haynes affidavit.
The affidavit itself was filed in support of a Show Cause order he filed demanding reinstatement as well as a halt to investigations into his behavior. Bizarrely, he insists that every investigation or lawsuit against him are attacks driven by pervasive racism, yet he never cites a single example of racism anywhere in this filing.
The Show Cause demand was first reported in The Roosevelt Islander.
Any criticism of him must be racist, he seems to claim, because… well, what else?
In a reasonable world, instead of pointing fingers and making outlandish claims, an official would let his performance speak for itself. But therein may lie the problem.
See a full copy of the affidavit below.
Two Big Fails
- After – through whatever means – Haynes found himself recognized as one of New York’s most powerful, just last year, he now repositions himself as the whiniest and most victimized.
- For the first time, he confesses his active role in Susan Rosenthal’s cruel dismissal. She preceded him as President and CEO at RIOC and served as his mentor. His accusations aren’t impressive, although Governor Cuomo’s henchmen loved them, and one is openly disputed by another professional involved.
Smaller Fails
Repeatedly, Haynes underscores his ignorance of how the Internet works, chastising The Daily, for example, for social sharing, which is just normal operating procedure and something his agency does all the time.
He calls out both The Roosevelt Island and The Daily for – gasp – recognizing and covering a RIOC press release. What does he think press releases are supposed to do?
Maybe slighter but both annoying and revelatory is his persistent reuse of “me and Ms Robinson,” rejecting the “Ms. Robinson and me” form of respect we were taught in grade school. It’s one more example of a me-first view of the world.
Note: His close associate, RIOC Chief Counsel Gretchen Robinson, has filed an almost identical affidavit with the same requests.
The Shelton J. Haynes Affidavit
I was discussing with Ms. Rosenthal how uncomfortable I felt being a black executive on Roosevelt Island. I gave a hypothetical analogy stating that if I were to curse publicly, it would not be viewed the same as if Ms. Rosenthal cursed publicly. She then agreed with me, stating if I were to do so, I would be viewed as a “typical n*****.”
Shelton J. Haynes on what he told a state investigator.
It’s hard to believe, but this was the big bombshell used to fire Rosenthal without prior notice or a hearing. A candid, private conversation meant to help Haynes sort out his issues flipped upside down to get the boss fired…?
Really? This is the best Team Cuomo could do? No wonder they fought like Tasmanian devils to avoid discovery.
Essentially, they had nothing.
On another occasion, in early 2020, she attempted to mediate a disagreement between me and the then-Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) of RIOC, John O’Reilly. She said that we should get out a ruler and measure our penises and for me not to worry as mine was bigger.
Shelton J. Haynes claim against Rosenthal
The problem here is simple. The other party involved, John O’Reilly, refutes Haynes’s statement but was never asked by the state investigator.
“She (Rosenthal) never said that,” O’Reilly tells The Daily. “He’s making it up.”
This matters because 1) it’s the first time Haynes openly takes credit for his role in undermining Rosenthal and 2) because neither accusation was ever verified by anyone but is still used against Rosenthal.
Something else was at play. Evidence in other court cases accuses Team Cuomo of lining Rosenthal up for a racially charged firing on Juneteenth accompanied by the promotion of Haynes.
The Media! The Media!
Here’s how the Haynes affidavit forms the foundation of his claims of racism.
“Since my promotion, both Gretchen Robinson and I have been attacked and harassed because of our race, he begins.
“A local columnist named David Stone, who has his own website named the Roosevelt Island Daily, has written several baseless articles about RIOC’s staff and executives, often using racially charged language which were then further disseminated to other media outlets.
“For example, in an article dated on or about October 26, 2021, Mr. Stone cited an unnamed source at RIOC saying ‘It’s all part of Shelton’s bid to build a Wakanda for himself with a praetorian guard of females covering for him. That’s not speculation. Just look at who he’s surrounded himself with. It’s not exactly a diverse crowd.‘
“Mr. Stone doubled down on the ‘Roosevelt Island Wakanda’ quote in an article from on or about December 6, 2022. These racist articles, their dissemination, and their apparent support by public officials—which never existed during the prior RIOC administrations run by White individuals—had a severe negative impact on me, RIOC’s staff, and RIOC’s working environment.“
Haynes never explains why the reference to a “Roosevelt Island Wakanda” is racist, but it goes to the heart of his general grievances. That is, any criticism of him must be racist.
The Roosevelt Island Wakanda
Wakanda: officially the Kingdom of Wakanda, is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics.
What our source suggested was that Haynes was actively surrounding himself with female protectors. The first reference in the affidavit is an article about Haynes’s appointing RIOC’s first chief of staff, Aida Morales, and how it fits that prophecy.
The second refers to Arthur Eliav’s federal complaint against Haynes, Chief Counsel Gretchen Robinson and Administration Vice President Tajuna Sharpe, referring to them as a kind of praetorian guard.
That’s an opinion about how Haynes handles personnel, and it has no relationship to race. Except in his mind.
What makes the praetorian guard a point of concern is not their race, it’s their being elevated beyond what experience suggests.
Aida Morales for example, under Haynes, rose from temp to Chief of Staff, a position there’s little need for that never existed in any prior administration.
Based on her deep misunderstanding of intellectual property as well as weak rationales for actions benefiting Hudson Related, Gretchen Robinson barely qualifies for a staff attorney position.
And about Tajuna Sharpe, former CEO John O’Reilly notes, “This is the guy (Haynes) who threatened to fire the whole finance team because we caught Tajuna not properly calculating the health care premiums and not making the 401k deposits withheld from employee pay.”
Additionally, according to Rosenthal, Sharpe did not reveal three prior lawsuits naming her as a defendant when she was hired.
But, under Haynes, each got promotions and large pay increases.
The Haynes Affidavit Conclusions
Whatever becomes of Haynes’s demands for reinstatement and the cancellation of investigations, he’s done himself harm. First, in posing himself as victim of a conspiracy, he escorted himself from an image of power to one of powerless.
Perhaps more harmful, he confesses his critical roles in having his boss – and caring mentor – fired and having her reputation destroyed.
There are deeper concerns here. No one verifies his accusations. In fact, one of two is openly refuted. But significantly, if either incident really happened, state policy required his reporting them immediately. He didn’t. If they happened at all, why was he silent until it was tactfully useful?
Why did he get a pass and a promotion into the very position from which he helped displace his friend and mentor? Will anyone in the gang of invisible Albany overseers ever step up with the facts?
Overall, the Haynes affidavit throws him into a harsh light, making himself look weak and cunning. It was a bad move.
As the Dust Settles
The way the wind cuts across the river this time of year. The way older buildings hold heat but never quite hold air. I told myself that was why my chest felt tight again on certain mornings. Age, perhaps.
