The RIOC board is a Jurassic disaster, perpetually failing to govern. Governor Kathy Hochul must act decisively to replace these relics and revitalize Roosevelt Island’s future.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
The dinosaurs vanished around 66 million years ago. But a clutch of them has been found holding seats on RIOC‘s board. It would only be good taste if they left voluntarily, but of course, they won’t.
RIOC solved The Girl Puzzle. Why stop there?
The good news, though, is that there’s a no fuss option for moving them out. Most have already outlived their appointments – without being reappointed. That means that all that must happen is for Governor Kathy Hochul to appoint newcomers. But she will need Senator Liz Krueger’s approval. That’s because Krueger, as chair of the Finance Committee, is gatekeeper for all appointments. Her committee must approve the governor’s appointments before they can stand for a vote before the full Senate.
Krueger is one of the state’s smartest and most effective Senators. She also happens to represent Roosevelt Island in Albany. In that role, she’s been both accountable and accessible.
Bottom Line: Krueger can set a new standard for excellence for RIOC’s board.
Fix RIOC: Create a Better Board
Here’s why they have to go:
In the last several years, RIOC’s board failed repeatedly. Their jobs include overseeing the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp. (RIOC). They’ve done little of that. For the most part, they’ve been a funnel through which Hochul’s Executive Chamber executed poorly. Or worse.
- The board fired two chief executives while never offering any explanation. The first, Susan Rosenthal, was denied a chance to defend herself. The accusations against her were lurid but never rose above malicious gossip. Not a single first person account or sworn statement justified any of the charges. Then, the board dangled her successor, Shelton Haynes, in limbo for over a year. They spent hundreds of thousands on an investigation, but his obvious mistreatment was never explained. Maybe they did right in both cases, but certainly, they did both in the wrong way. The results: Costly lawsuits that are still unresolved.
- Budgeting, approved by the board without a blink, is a looming disaster. In 2021, RIOC operated under a budget of $35,575,000. In the intervening years, including the pandemic, it ballooned to $39,301,745. Despite that increase, RIOC continues bleeding red ink. And its budget is balanced, like magic, with funds RIOC does not have. Those theoretical funds fill out the spending plan, generating $10,879,723 in “Interest Income.” That’s over 25% of the budget, meaning RIOC spends far more than it earns. In 2021, that category accounted for only $1,355,000, less than 5%. Increasingly, RIOC lives like a tribe of breatharians.
- A core mission, infrastructure, languishes with multiple threats unaddressed. The eastern seawall was found in imminent danger of “catastrophic collapse” a decade ago. While Rosenthal pushed for a solution, the board acquiesced to an Albany-driven stall.
- Newly appointed members Ben Fhala and Lydia Tang attempted to fix RIOC. The dinosaurs awoke and teamed up against them. The problems were as obvious as the board’s intentions on not fixing them.
There’s more, considerably more, but the worst examples above are enough to justify an overhaul. To fix RIOC, it can’t be avoided any longer.
The Board of Directors
At times in the past, I recast the group as the “board of enablers.” I compared them to a squid, until I realized it was unfair to the squids. Humor aside, here’s who should go, enhancing the possibility of fixing RIOC.
The Worst of a Bad Lot
Howard Polivy: A mayoral nomination by Michael Bloomberg, Polivy is a respected professional in private life. But he hasn’t brought any heft to the public side. As a board member, he’s been willing a player in some of RIOC’s worst activities.
He sat quietly while Governor Cuomo pushed Susan Rosenthal out of office in a delirious hurry. She was never given five minutes with the board to defend herself. This grew worse as legal proceedings made a sham out of the governor’s case against her. Not a single sworn statement buttressed the governor’s case. It was a case built on innuendo and gossip fulfilling a political need. Rosenthal has never been shown to have done anything worth being fired for. Polivy has never expressed any regrets.
And he participated in all the mismanagement listed above.
David Kraut: In recent years, he is known best for loud, sometimes obscene tirades during public board meetings. Kraut has served on the board longer than Methuselah lived. Once the source of incisive reasoning and thoughtful argument, he has let emotion bury consideration. At a recent meeting, he rudely interrupted a public session. He didn’t like how RIRA Common Council Vice President Felicia Ruff addressed the gathering. Ruff calmly rebuffed him. She was, she said, simply addressing both the public audience and the board at the same time.
No longer a Roosevelt Island resident, Kraut’s claim on board membership is shaky. Given his outbursts coupled with this participation in the above screwups, Hochul should let him go. Quietly.
Fay Christian is just an honorable mention because her term has not yet expired. She offers little to the board. She should not be renewed.
Fix RIOC
That should be our elected officials mission. In RIOC, the community has a powerful resource. The state agency can be – and sometimes has been – instrumental in building community. It landed Cornell Tech, FDR Four Freedoms Park and The Girl Puzzle, after all.
The sky’s the limit for RIOC, but changes must be made. To fix RIOC, start with the board.
The Other End of the Leash
The first thing winter reveals when it loosens its grip is not green grass. It is honesty.
