According to multiple sources, now-suspended RIOC President/CEO Shelton Haynes routinely asked a puzzling question during job interviews. Given the history that followed – the staff rebellion leading to his dismissal after substantial accusations of misconduct – understanding his reasoning isn’t simple. Was he setting up guardrails for himself, assuring good behavior? Or was there something less savory or inexplicable?
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
A Puzzling Question
The question is as puzzling now as it was during the interviews.
“If you caught me doing something wrong, would you report me?” – or something like it – Haynes asked while conducting final interviews.
Every RIOC employee I talked to said, “Yes,” and Haynes hired them. But then, each was surprised by the conduct that followed. There were hundreds of thousands of dollars in questionable spending, startling salary increases and troubling levels of employee surveillance.
Although Haynes along with Chief Counsel Gretchen Robinson was suspended – with pay – following at least six verifiable employee complaints, neither have been dismissed. Likewise, with over a dozen active investigations, none confirmed any wrongdoing.
So, what was the point?
One possibility is that Haynes sought surrounding himself with ethically-minded professionals in keeping RIOC’s house clean.
Another is that he was inoculating himself, linking in advance to a high ethical standard. The puzzling question only became so bewildering after his conduct got so concerning, in the employees’ eyes, they felt they had to report it.
Because of privacy requirements during active litigation, all accusations against Haynes are vague. We know about them from a signed statement made by board member Howard Polivy who was responding to a lawsuit filed by Haynes and Robinson. It took six individuals coming to Polivy to unload over seven months before he believed there was enough to act on.
Before that, he admits, he hoped the pair might be cleared in a board-sponsored investigation. In short, Polivy and the board sought one of the slanted government investigations that disable accountability. New York State does a lot of that. Some politically connected law firms thrive on it.
It took a lot to shake Polivy’s and other board members’ faith in Haynes and Robinson.
The investigation? As Haynes and Robinson deny any wrongdoing in lawsuits accusing RIOC and the state of racism, none have proved otherwise.
On the other hand, in no instance has either been cleared – of gross employee mismanagement or of a dozen or more accusations filed with the Inspector General and others. Further, evidence suggests, that under Governor Kathy Hochul the IG has slow walked investigations into RIOC.
Maybe, the governor’s office just doesn’t want to know for political reasons, leaving both wrongdoing and/or false accusations free to fly. But word is out that the investigations are finally heating up, and we may see some resolution at next week’s board meeting.
We might have an answer to for this puzzling question and some fresh clarity as well.
An Emergency, Apparently
Read the full article to learn more about this story.
