Whether the November 7 Residents Association ballot will carry an advisory referendum question on a locally-elected Board of Directors for the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) will be considered Wednesday night, October 4, by the Residents Association Common Council. The meeting will start at 8:00 p.m. in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd (lower level). It is open to the public.

The Common Council entertained the ballot question at its monthly meeting last week, but when time ran short and a straw vote revealed that a motion to put the question on the ballot would probably fail by one or two votes, it postponed further discussion until the special meeting October 4.

The question would ask residents whether they would prefer a RIOC Board with a majority of elected Island residents rather than one composed entirely of appointees who serve at the pleasure of the Governor. The mostly-elected Board would be empowered to hire professional civic management, replacing the Governor-appointed President of RIOC.

While the proposed ballot question is both advisory and largely philosophical, it arises from legislation introduced in the last session of the State Legislature by Senator Olga Mendez and Assemblymember Pete Grannis. The bill was still pending when the Legislative session ended.

A similar ballot question scored a 92% approval among residents two years ago, giving impetus to the efforts to find a workable formula for a RIOC Board with a majority of members elected by residents. Under all forms of the legislation considered thus far, such a Board would be empowered to find and hire a professional civic manager, who would replace the politically-appointed President of RIOC as primary Island administrator.

Under the version of the legislation most recently considered, the State would have responsibility for all Island capital needs over a specific "ceiling" figure - a kind of insurance-policy "deductible." In Mendez's version, the ceiling is set at $500,000; Grannis's version puts it at $200,000. Below the ceiling, the new democratically-elected RIOC Board and its professional manager would be responsible for budgeting the necessary funds from Island income derived from ground rents and other on-Island sources such as Motorgate fees.

Questions arising at last week's RIRA meeting included the possibility of adding a second referendum question on possible New York City takeover of the Island. (While City property, the Island is presently leased to the State and, under the supervision of the State Department of Housing and Community Renewal [DHCR], is run by RIOC.) However, the idea is relatively new, and there has been no specific plan negotiated among residents, City, and State.

RIRA President Patrick Stewart expressed opposition to putting the question before residents, calling it "financially irresponsible" for residents to choose local election of the RIOC Board when "forty million dollars in infrastructure repairs are needed." Stewart said the legislation would cut off State support for the Island. He also pointed out that the State has not provided a subsidy for the Island for some four years. (The version of the referendum question under discussion had cited a three-year period.)

The financial question may prove decisive in whether the RIRA Council puts the issue on the November ballot. Even though it is only advisory, Stewart argues that if it led to democratic election of the RIOC Board, that Board would have no access to financial resources at the level required to deal with the Island's needs. Those favoring the ballot question say, on the other hand, that the only significant changes would be election of a majority of the RIOC Board and the hiring of professional management, arguing that a largely-elected RIOC Board would ask for and accept State funding, while the present appointed Board and RIOC management has not accepted State funding and has not demanded restoration of a Roosevelt Island line item in the State budget.

If the advisory referendum question is put on the Residents Association ballot, it would be voted on by residents (including non-citizens of the U.S.) on November 7, at the same time as the nation-wide general election.