Yet the plan that caught the eye of 92% of Island voters at the November election may find its way through the lawmaking process soon.

As convenor of the Maple Tree Group, 71-year-old Bauer is seen by its members as a personification of Kipling's character in If - the man who "keeps his head when all around are losing theirs." "David is a very calm, judicious person who has the ability to keep a discussion in the meeting to the subject at hand and focus on the salient issues cogently," says Lee Edelman, a member of the Group. Another member, Sherie Helstien, describes him as "a very even-handed, fair man, ideally suited to be point person for the movement toward self-governance."

One of the techniques Bauer uses to keep his group working together is to let everyone talk in a round-robin at the end of the meeting. "It is a wonderful technique which enables the quiet ones at the meetings to express their opinions or else a small group would hog the limelight," says Mary Camper-Titsingh. Laurence-Marie Brodsky describes Bauer as "an extraordinary leader, down-to-earth and articulate. He gets the best out of each member of the Group, takes in what we bring and says the right thing at the right time," says Brodsky.

In the '60s, he served as a member of the County Planning Commission of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the Professional Standards Committee of the Connecticut Municipal Training Program of Hartford, Connecticut. He was also the President of the Connecticut Town and City Managers' Association and the Wethersfield Equal Opportunity Council. In the late '70s, David was a memer of the Local Government Personnel and the Risk Management Committees of the International City Management Association based in Washington, D.C. The early '80s saw him serve on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Dock and Canal Trust in Chicago.

In order to prevent or at least postpone this calamity, Bauer, whose personal motto is "if it is to be, it is up to me," decided that a survey should be conducted to see if Island residents were satisfied with the delivery of services on the Island. "When I realized that most of the people surveyed felt that services were woefully below standard, I put together a draft to transfer responsibility to people elected by Island residents. Our group managed to gain the ear of Assemblymember Pete Grannis and Senator Olga Mendez. The bill has been rewritten to meet the requirements of the Senate and the administration. Whether the Bill is passed or not remains to be seen, but at least we have made our point clear." Bauer continues, "I am an optimist - hopefully a realistic optimist."

What is next on his agenda? "I can't say for sure. I will do what needs to be done. I have only just so much energy and no grand masterplan. I am willing to look at doors of opportunity but I am neither a daredevil nor a Don Quixote," says Bauer. "I have a fear of being stuck in a rut. If I see things that need to be done, I go back to them. I try not to intrude on what others are doing because I know I am not all-wise."

Bauer's friends and fans think he is a sincere and hard worker who is dedicated to Roosevelt Island. Faye Vass says of him, "He is astute, he researches everything. He doesn't say anything he cannot back up and gets right to the point. I respect him because he is reliable and runs to do things himself." Matthew Katz thinks that apart from running a superbly organized meeting, he always manages to find a consensus because he remains so calm. "With his big glasses, his beard and his suspenders, when you talk to him, you feel you are in the presence of the Buddha," Katz says.