A Bid for RI?

A week earlier, some 100 of us had gathered in the Chapel to hear how the movement for local self-rule was faring and how it was likely to proceed. Local rule for Roosevelt Island will require State legislation. Last week's WIRE reported that Assemblymember Pete Grannis was guardedly optimistic about the likelihood of the necessary legislation making its way through Albany over the next year or two. (Incidentally, Grannis deserves boundless thanks from this community for his consistent tending to our needs. He is truly one of the finest examples of what a politician should be like - helping his constituents when their requests are legitimate but letting them know when their demands are unreasonable.)

It's been some time since I attended a Town Meeting. By the end of this one, two things seemed clear to me.

This Won't Be Easy...

Is There An Alternative?

Grannis, a Democratic Assemblymember, explained that the legislative process would require the active support of a Republican member of the State Senate. Republicans control the latter body and it is almost impossible to pass legislation without their support. The legislation would then have to pass through the Governor's office. It would be impossible, Grannis explained, to override a Pataki veto.

Given those barriers, it seems prudent to have an alternative plan. A possibility is a Business Improvement District (BID). In many parts of the City, you can see security and maintenance services being provided by uniformed individuals who are not, however, wearing New York City uniforms. A consortium of local businesses and residents who pay for their services - a BID - employs these people. There is existing legislation that provides for the creation of these BIDs. Their creation requires the cooperation of City government. A BID could provide most - perhaps even all - of what we are looking for in self-rule without requiring the State Legislature to pass legislation.

While I think it would be preferable to have home rule for Roosevelt Island established by an act of the Legislature, we should put some energy into simultaneously investigating what it would take to create a Business Improvement District for our community.

This Won't Be Easy...

We'll Need Money

Another thing seemed clear at the Town Meeting. Some of the attendees believed that Roosevelt Island could expect to see its State subsidy return if only we had local rule.
Assemblymember Grannis did, in fact, list several sources of funds for specific Island needs that he believed could have been obtained had our leadership but asked for it. But these are not the multi-million dollar subsidies that we enjoyed in our earlier years.

The rationale for our State subsidy was that we were to become self-sufficient when our population reached 20,000. We've been stuck at under half that number because the State did not complete its task of developing the Island. We can't expect the State to continue its support if the community blocks further development. Of course, the State can't expect the community to allow development to proceed without significant participation by our representatives in the process.

But we mustn't delude ourselves. If we win the right to self-rule, our representatives will be faced with substantial financial problems - problems that will require further development for their resolution.

Jack Resnick