Meanwhile, the haphazard rush to develop virtually anything that can support a structure promises to destroy the planned nature of Roosevelt Island.  If ever a piece of land needed careful planning to be viable, a long, narrow island like this one certainly qualifies.

Breaking away from the plan – the General Development Plan that's part of the Lease between City and State – is dangerous, but the present RIOC administration, in what appears to be a desperate and frantic search for any possible source of income, is doing it by following through on development ideas brought forth under Jerome Blue who, after all, was simply doing his best to cope with a situation bound to become more desperate month by month.

Violating the comprehensive development plan for the Island, without a comprehensive replacement plan – doing it piecemeal – is a tragic and unnecessary mistake.

But there is a great opportunity here for a New York State Governor with vision.

This deteriorating model community could be made even better than ever imagined if George Pataki will adopt the idea of a United Nations National Park at Southpoint, take it to President George W. Bush and the Republican-dominated Congress, enlist the support of Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Charles Schumer, and Representative Carolyn Maloney, and move forward on making Southpoint a world-class attraction complete with ferry service from the vicinity of the United Nations and elsewhere in Manhattan.

With that idea in place, imagine the world-class community that would have to serve as host for such a park and, perhaps, the Museum of International Affairs which might accompany it.  With such a vision in place, it's only a small step to see that an investment in making Roosevelt Island shine in every way is a good investment for New York State, the City, and the nation.

The time and the conditions are right.  The Governor has the opportunity to do this now, and to count it forever as perhaps his greatest achievement while in office.