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October 21, 2000 |
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To the Editor: The attack on RIOC has become a cottage industry on this Island since Dr. Jerome Blue was its chief. No one opposed his administration more than I did. I apologize not at all for that effort. But RIOC has just completed the renewal of Good Shepherd Plaza. I have lived here for 25 years: it has never been better. At dinner time it is filled with children and their parents with its wonderful chaos, and inordinate noise. For those of us less frisky, it is a continuing daily drama and the embodiment of the whole Island's promise. Even the pigeons retreat happily to the periphery. Some of us have used the Plaza for a little conversation, or to avoid it elsewhere. I used to begin and end my tours there with foreign planners and journalists who regarded the Island as the most successful "new town" anywhere. Under Dr. Blue the area collapsed: benches became unsafe, parents worried about accidents, and it was just not quite clean. It is now a pleasant place for all of us – the geezers, the visitors, and the incomparable off-Broadway performance before dinner, and all under the custody of our great elm trees. It includes the latest prize-winning orthopedically-designed benches for the variety of its users. Rob Ryan and RIOC deserve our thanks for an important job well done. There are still lots of other things needing RIOC's immediate attention. But this has been a star performance. Richard C. Wade
To the Editor:: I've been an Island House RIRA representative for the past four years and feel that the organization's past 18 months have been totally unproductive. The WIRE, and subsequent letters to The WIRE, reported that the September RIRA meeting turned into a brawl over the word "ex-officio" in a statement by Joyce Mincheff. Joyce was objecting that Patrick Stewart, RIRA President, had accepted an appointment by the Governor to the RIOC Board of Directors without insisting that it be an "ex officio" appointment – that is, a result of his RIRA Presidency. The "ex-officio" topic is the tip of the iceberg. It exemplifies the conflicting interests of RIRA's leadership. RIRA legal activity is thoroughly infested with apparent conflicts of interest. Patrick Stewart is the RIRA President and also a RIOC board member. He serves on the Board at the pleasure of Governor Pataki, not in an ex-officio capacity resulting from his RIRA Presidency. In his RIOC role, he has no accountability to the residents of Roosevelt Island. His appointment to the RIOC Board will not end when his RIRA Presidency ends, unless he chooses to resign at that time. Karen Stewart, Patrick's wife, has a particular unofficial, but very influential role in RIRA activities. Karen is helping manage RIRA legal activity on Southtown, assisting Joan Christianson, who heads RIRA's Legal Action Fund Committee (LAFC). Karen and Joan are the only people permitted to talk to RIRA's attorneys. Why does Patrick Stewart's wife have special access, unlike elected members of the RIRA Common Council and, in particular, its LAFC members? Patrick and Joan make the case that Karen has done some hard work and an exception should be made. Extra volunteers are great, even spouses, except when their role causes a conflict of interest. Unfortunately, there are several problems with this arrangement. Karen and Joan have been working with attorney Jeff Glen from DeForest and Duer (D&D) to determine whether or not RIRA should sue RIOC over violations of the General Development Plan (GDP) in the proposed Southtown development. In other words, Karen Stewart has been doing research on whether or not to sue RIOC, which includes her husband as a Board member. Are we supposed to believe that the wife of the RIRA president would actually make the case for suing RIOC and, potentially, having her husband subpoenaed or deposed? Of course not. Karen and Joan defend RIRA's failure to act, saying, "D&D advised RIRA not to sue RIOC" before the Article 78 filing deadline. After the deadline, RIRA eventually filed a tagalong motion to "intervene" in the actions filed by Roosevelt Islanders for Responsible Southtown Development (RIRSD) and the Alternative Southtown Design Committee, headed by Robert Chira. As a result, RIRSD and Chira may get to the negotiating table with RIOC, while RIRA will have, at best, a back seat in discussions. How did this legal strategy help RIRA or Island residents? RIRA has spent a lot of money, but little of it went towards efforts that took action to benefit the Island. RIRA did not get good value for our legal dollar. One might ask how it is possible to consistently get bad/ineffective legal advice? Something doesn't make sense about this until one becomes aware that Shirley Margolin (former head of SAHE, a predecessor to RIOC) recommended Jeff Glen from D&D to represent RIRA. He is the husband of Rosina Abramson, a former head of RIOC. Thus, Jeff Glen might be seen as discouraging certain litigation strategies that could affect his wife, who might be subpoenaed or deposed regarding her actions when head of RIOC. Likewise, by all appearances, Karen Stewart might attempt to steer RIRA's litigation to avoid any effect on her husband, who serves on both the RIOC Board and as RIRA President. (For example, the City Department of Environmental Protection [DEP] apparently designated funds for RIOC to repair Octagon Park. It appears that RIOC requested the DEP to mark the funds as "discretionary." The possible use of these funds related to the Southtown development is one of the causes of action in the litigation brought by RIRSD against RIOC.) In short, RIRA legal activity is thoroughly infested with apparent conflicts of interest. What did Roosevelt Island residents get for these apparent conflicts of interest? We first got inaction, then a hasty intervention that confused the judge and thereby derailed RIRSD's case. All in all, a terribly poor defense of resident interests in Southtown development, and a big legal bill (about $10,000) that exhausted RIRA's funds. Because RIRA didn't take timely action, RIRSD and Chira had to do all the "heavy lifting." Island residents deserve a better defense of their concerns, and Island residents deserve a better, conflict-free RIRA with real leadership. Hopefully, the next RIRA will do much better. Frank Farance
To the Editor:: When I voted for Senator Olga Mendez in the Primary, I did not know that she was anti-choice, nor that she had an excellent pro-choice, Democratic opponent, Assemblymember Felix Rosado. I learned this only the day after the Primary and the day after that, when lovely materials from Felix Rosado appeared in my mailbox. This puzzled me so that I wrote him and learned, "these mailings were delivered to the Church Street Station Distribution Center more than a week before the election and poised for delivery on the Thursday, Friday, and Saturday prior to Election Day (three mailings were planned). Somehow, mysteriously, these mailings were lost..." Are we living in a democracy – or in Soviet Russia? Frances Salten
Dear Neighbors and Community Organizers: The Roosevelt Island Council of Organizations (RICO) has retained the services of a professional market research firm to complete a survey of all active Island organizations. The funding for the survey is provided through grant monies RICO secured from the Office of the Manhattan Borough President. In order to convey accurate activities of Island organizations to current and potential residents, a survey will be conducted of all currently known Island groups. In coming weeks, each group will be contacted for a telephone interview that will last no longer than five minutes. We hope you will respond, thus providing us all with worthwhile knowledge. If you are not reached, the organization of which you are a member can contact RICO at 755-7350. Thank you, in advance, for your time and cooperation. Susan Whitaker, Chair
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