Fresh voices have taken up the longest standing battle on Roosevelt Island: Who sits on RIOC’s board? But this is New York, and nothing is simple – or democratic.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
The Bumpy Road to RIOC’s Board
In the beginning, it was simple. The governor appointed individuals to serve on the board, and once the state senate nodded approval, it was done. There was nothing democratic about it. By and large, residents loved living on Roosevelt Island so much, few cared. They were living in an urban dreamscape imagined by progressives who beat back real estate developers. There was trust that it would continue.
As we know now, it didn’t. Development began stretching beyond the core WIRE buildings and tensions rose. Green space shrank while market rate housing arrived with a bang in Manhattan Park. Out of the gap came the demand for residents having more say in how RIOC governed the community.
It wasn’t that smooth or obvious, of course. There were other factors, but while most residents remained satisfied, a politically minded group made some noise. Their case made all the sense in the world.
Few knew, then, that Roosevelt Islanders chipped in the great majority of funding that turned on the lights at RIOC. Yet, unlike any other place in America, they had virtually no say in how that funding was used. At least in theory, RIOC’s board ran the place – without any official responsibility for residents’ interests.
As frustrations mounted, things got worse. The state pulled out all the funding it had provided from start up but held onto control.
“Taxation Without Representation”
Led by an organized, well-informed Maple Tree Group, activists pushed hard for increasing democracy on Roosevelt Island. The “taxation without representation” meme, borrowed from pre-revolutionary times, was catchy but untrue. As Senator Liz Krueger pointed out at the recent Community Board 8 meeting, Roosevelt Islanders vote for mayor, city council member, senator and assembly member.
The problem, though persists, because the impact any of the elected officials has is limited by a politically electrified fence known as “the Governor of New York,” who acts remotely to keep control over RIOC.
Only a few members from the Maple Tree Group – Joyce Short, Margie Smith, Frank Farance – remain, but they can claim the only progress ever in driving inroads into Albany’s control.
When Republican control in Albany ended, the brief tenure of Governor Eliot Spitzer allowed some sunshine in. New legislation called for a minimum number of resident board members, and Spitzer approved voting for them.
Change came with a newly community-oriented board, but it didn’t last long.
Andrew Cuomo’s Fist
Governor Andrew Cuomo took office in 2011, and he had no taste for democracy or pretensions about it. Cuomo was all about power, and he wasn’t giving up any of it. And he took back what Spitzer gave away.
Cuomo refused new elections, and in keeping control of RIOC’s board, among other things, he left seats vacant for years, which gave extra weight to the nonresident, ex officio members dangled out of Albany.
Frustrations heated up, but Cuomo was cold. He did not budge. Challenged by Senator Krueger and Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright, Governor Kathy Hochul has been better. But as a hard right majority sinks its heels in, needed changes have been rebuffed. For the Albany controllers, things are dandy, just as they are, despite an abysmal record.
Clearing Up the Facts: RIOC’s Board
The board is made up of nine members, although in recent years, a number of seats have been left empty. The empty seats have always been resident seats.
- Two Permanent Ex Officio Members – the Board Chair, Homes and Community Renewal Commissioner, and State Budget Director. These are almost always represented by surrogates.
- Two Recommended by the City of New York’s Mayor and, then, appointed after vetting by the Governor. One must be a Roosevelt Island Resident.
- Five Appointed by the Governor, four of which must be residents.
At the Community Board 8 meeting on July 1st, it was said several times that the mayor appoints two members. That’s not true. The mayor only recommends, but the governor always appoints. That rang true throughout Bill de Blasio’s term as mayor. Cuomo hated him as much as he hated Cuomo, and as a result, one seat was empty for years. Howard Polivy, recommended by Mayor Michael Bloomberg, holds the other. The vacancy was filled by Mayor Eric Adams with Lydia Tang.
How the Math Works and the Demand for Change
The ex officio board members march in lockstep with Governor Hochul’s drumbeat. Together with a hard right contingent, in recent months, they’ve moved to lock out changes suggested by a far more progressive group of new members.
The hard right holding back change are Howard Polivy, David Kraut and Conway Ekpo, making their coalition with the ex officio members a majority on every issue. Fay Christian is more open to concerns and change but tends to side with the hard right conservatives.
The progressives, all newer board members – Ben Fhala, Lydia Tang and Michal Melamed – scored some points early on. An example is the establishment of a Governance Committee, chaired by Tang, after over a decade of noncompliance with state law.
But the conservatives vigorously batted back an effort to improve RIOC’s badly abused procurement process, which was a core initiative from the progressive group. Fhala, Tang and Melamed have also pushed for greater transparency and accountability – which does not sit well with Albany.
All that, though, can change, and residents need Krueger’s and Seawright’s help in getting it done.
Why Krueger and Seawright Matter
Two years ago, Seawright teamed up with Senator José Serrano, passing legislation that gave residents more power on the board and demanded residency for RIOC’s chief executive. Hochul, unwilling to cede any power, vetoed both.
Krueger, who succeeded Serrano in representing Roosevelt Island, disagrees with the idea of passing legislation again that Hochul will simply veto. Krueger’s had her battles with Hochul. Although she agrees with Seawright that residents should have more say in who sits on RIOC’s board, her approach differs.
Seawright, on the other hand, has been a staunch advocate for Roosevelt Islanders’ wishes for a decade. She maintains strong bonds with many residents and always has an open channel for concerns. Like Community Board 8 Roosevelt Island representative Paul Krikler, she favors legislation requiring elections for board members.
Krikler has circulated a petition showing that a strong contingent of Roosevelt Islanders agree. Legislation would make the change permanent and invigorate the push for board members taking control of RIOC as its enabling legislation provides. Bending the knee to whatever governor occupies the Second Floor in Albany must go.
A pragmatic approach…
A more pragmatic approach is favored by Krueger. She believes passing legislation that the governor will veto makes little sense, but she brightened with a compromise suggestion from Seawright during the CB8 committee meeting on Zoom.
Last year, Mayor Adams agreed with a Seawright suggestion that he would recommend only board members suggested by resident voting. Why not ask Hochul to do the same?
The prolonged logjam of mismanagement at RIOC is largely the fault of a weak and compliant board without initiatives of their own. Members Howard Polivy and David Kraut, whose terms have long since expired, should be replaced with new blood and open minds.
Because Krueger controls the senate committee that must pass on any new board nominations, she can enforce any agreement – or make it happen without the governor’s approval if she’s willing.
Board members’ terms are essentially eternal because, unless and until a replacement is nominated and approved, they hold their spot. Kraut has survived despite a history of profanity and angry public attacks simply because of his ability to say, “Yes.” And any board member with a decent commitment to his or her community should be embarrassed by the circumstances now in place. They won’t, but they should step down voluntarily until the community votes them in.
Finally…
Roosevelt Islanders are lucky to have two dynamic electeds in Seawright and Krueger. They are listening, and if they can get Hochul’s ear, change may come sooner than later. And Roosevelt Islanders need that. Brutal mismanagement has left the island with a budget bleeding cash without a single initiative to stop it. Even the cherished Red Buses are falling apart, barely able to fulfill their missions. The Tram is a risky ride, and contracted management of it is so costly that it virtually assures losing money.
Sportspark bleeds red, too, by a lot, and with a vacuum in leadership as well as a hapless board frozen by hard right conservatives, no solutions for any of the problems have surfaced.
We need Krueger’s and Seawright’s help, and we need it now.
A Job With a Predictable Ending
The role looks stable from the outside. A President and CEO is appointed. A contract is approved. A salary is set.
