It's time for a change. A drastic change.

We have had four years of doing nothing.

Well, that's not quite true. They did do something.

They managed to obtain $10,000 of public money to show a movie two summers ago. Imagine $10,000 to sit in an empty lot and sip wine while watching a fifty-year-old movie that has been shown free on TV 107 times. Think what the PTA could have done with that money. Or the Senior center. Or Meals on Wheels.

And then they were able to obtain $100,000 of public money for the art gallery. You know the one - in the Rivercross building. The one that's always empty. Imagine $100,000 so they could learn body painting and stare at nude models and show art that no one is interested in. Did you ever see anyone in the art gallery? Have they accounted for the $100,000? Think what the PTA could do with $100,000? The Senior center? The Boy Scouts? The Girl Scouts?

Of course, they gave us expensive and needless cookbooks. They gave us bagels on Roosevelt Island Day. They gave us blood drives which were totally unnecessary. They gave us a $2,000 donation which represented a "gift" from the movie company, which had already spent $100,000 plus in fees and extras while making a movie on the Island. They did nothing during the blackout except terrorize the RIOC staff. They did nothing while our only bridge to the world was taken over so pleasure boats could sail by (thank God we did not have a fire while the bridge was up). They spent six months arguing over a Constitution and Bylaws which no one has read, will read, or cares about.

The list is endless but, more important, who are "they?" They are the people who live in the only resident-owned building on the Island: Rivercross. The rich people. The people who think nothing of spending $10,000 for a movie or $100,000 for an art studio. It is not an accident that the $100,000 studio is in Rivercross. It is not an accident that they want to control the future of this Island.

Rivercross is also the home of the evil empire also know as the Maple Tree Group. A notorious sinister group who just a short time ago were planning the People's Republic of Roosevelt Island. Imagine, this Island would be run as an independent country. And they almost succeeded until I was able to expose them.

But enough about the enemy of this wonderful Island. What are my plans?

My primary plan is to return this Island to the City of New York who, in a moment of misguided but well intended generosity (the road to Hell is paved with good intentions -St. Patrick) loaned us to the State of New York. It is time we returned home. But that will take time. A year or two at best. But it can and should be done. I hope to be remembered as the man who returned Roosevelt Island to New York City. A name change? Well?

But what meanwhile? Well, for openers:

I will see to it that our hospitals who will not accept us as emergency patients will do so.

I will permanently close our bridge to river traffic.

I will end the duplication of Red Buses and white buses.

I will increase the number of bus stops.

I will end the needless and insulting RIOC bashing which "they" love.

I will stop the $90 million park.

I will encourage housing and office space, especially the Octagon project.

I will ease the transition of Roosevelt Island housing to the inevitable - all housing will be condo or coop.

I will privatize open land for development as is done in Manhattan.

I will encourage our citizens to stop whining.

I will tear down the wall around Rivercross and its residents.

I will never be accused of presiding over another boring RIRA meeting.

I will double the size of the St. Patrick's Day parade.