“Looks like some time in May I will be leaving,” Cy Opperman, RIOC’s Transportation Director, told The Daily, this morning. His contributions, usually quiet, go far beyond any pay he received for his work.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
The morning after RIOC hired Cyril Opperman in 2011, the local print newspaper hailed him as “a real New Yawker,” citing his long experience with the MTA. But he was always more than that.
Cy, as he is best known, while staying far below the headlines kept Roosevelt Island’s most dependable service going, no matter what.
Even the pandemic shutdown could not stop the buses. As a journalist, I was out almost every day too and watched tough as nails Red Bus drivers circling the community, right on schedule. Their buses were near empty for months, but they never shirked the responsibility.
That’s because Cy was in charge. When other RIOC executives sheltered at home as COVID-19 swept through New York City, he was in.
The perfect example of a public servant who never got out in front of his job, Cy made things work when budgets were tight, drivers in short supply and buses rattling into extinction. The man knew his job, and he did it.
The Hint That Cy Opperman Was Leaving
Yesterday, after spotting an ad for a Director of Transportation at RIOC, I asked Communications Director Bryant Daniels about it. Understandably, he was not free to discuss employment matters, but The Daily expects a fuller comment later today.
So, I asked Cy directly.
“Looks like some time in May I will be leaving,” he said, as reported above, but Cy being Cy, he immediately turned the spotlight away. “Thank you for everything you do for R.I.,” he added.
Early comments…
“He better not leave or we will be up a creek!” was one instant response.
Another, referring to the Red Buses Cy has kept running with duct tape and baling wire: “He better not or we will have to have the Budweiser Clydesdales pull the buses…”
We’re confident it won’t get that bad, but we seriously doubt anyone will ever do better.”
This is breaking news; so, stay tuned.
The Five Amendments That Sold Out Roosevelt Island
Roosevelt Island did not lose control of its southern waterfront in a single deal. It happened in five quiet steps. Five amendments. Five missed chances to renegotiate.
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