The meeting had been called – or not, depending on whose version of events one accepts – to work on compromise wording for an advisory question for RIRA's November ballot.  If put on the ballot, the question would seek residents' views on whether legislation should be passed allowing local election of a majority of members of the Board of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC).  If passed, such legislation would change the present system in which the Governor appoints all the members of the Board as well as the RIOC President.

Whether Wednesday night's RIRA meeting had actually been called was a subject of e-mail exchanges Sunday through Tuesday among Council members and RIRA President Patrick Stewart.  The split over whether a meeting had been called was roughly parallel to the division over whether the advisory referendum should appear on the November ballot or not.

In the end, nearly a dozen Councilors who support RIRA President Patrick Stewart in his current position that the referendum question should not be on the November ballot simply failed to show up.  Stewart arrived at 8:04 for the scheduled 8:00 p.m. meeting, and took attendance at 8:19.  At 8:21 he pointed out the absence of a quorum and adjourned the meeting.  When asked to remain for a discussion by those seeking to put the advisory question on the November ballot as an advisory question, he declined.

The Council Secretary, Susan Waide, resigned that post Tuesday in an e-mail message saying that the secretarial function was unnecessary if a few members of the Council and a WIRE report could override Council wishes and force the calling of a meeting.  While the RIRA Constitution provides that five of its members can call an emergency meeting, the controversy was over whether such a meeting had been agreed upon in the Council's September 13 meeting.  Finally, on Tuesday, Stewart issued a call for the meeting.

It isn't clear whether the referendum matter will be considered at the Council's regular meeting this coming Wednesday night (October 11) at 8:00 p.m. in the Chapel of the Good Shepherd.

A non-binding straw vote at the September 13 meeting revealed a 10-8 division narrowly against putting the referendum question on the ballot, suggesting that the matter could be decided based on what Councilors were able to attend a meeting considering the matter.

To be put on the November 7 ballot, the referendum question would have to be ready in advance, suggesting that the October 11 Council session is the last scheduled opportunity to reach a decision to include the question in November voting.