Is Roosevelt Island Operating Corp Board Of Directors Taking Control Of New RIOC President Selection Process? Maybe, But Still No Word On Why Former RIOC President Resigned
The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Governance Committee
Image of RIOC Directors and Staff Before Governance Committee Meeting Begins
met this evening for over an hour in Executive Session (closed to the public) to discuss the resignation of former RIOC President Leslie Torres, the appointment of an interim President and procedures for selecting a new President.
At the conclusion of the Executive Session, the RIOC Directors announced that General Counsel Donald Lewis will be the Interim RIOC President/CEO until an Emergency RIOC Board of Directors meeting is held which is scheduled for next Wednesday October 3. At that full RIOC Board meeting, an Acting President/CEO will be named by the RIOC Directors and procedures will be announced for conducting a job search for a new RIOC President.
The RIOC Directors also stated that they do not know why Ms. Torres resigned and that they did not learn of her resignation until last Friday. Ms. Torres resignation was effective the same day it was announced.
Here's some of what happened during the Governance Committee Public Session.
Interestingly, The Tribeca Trib reported on September 12 that the
This previous post describes how the RIOC President selection process played out in 2010 following the removal of former President Steve Shane. The Governor, through the DHCR Commissioner, picked Ms. Torres as RIOC President and the RIOC Board's acquiesced to the selection. Perhaps that will not happen this time.
36 comments :
I think something other than personal reasons occurred.
But who are we to speculate? I think only the presidents of other public benefit corporations are qualified to speak on this matter, just as only other law enforcement professionals can comment on situations involving our Public Safety Department.
Could have been a dispute over the IH exit agreement - perhaps she refused to sign over the ground lease, and it was then that the Board "suggested" she resign or else they'd can her. The Board then had the VP sign over the ground lease. But that's pure speculation. Sometimes a person about to be fired (for whatever reason) is given a chance to resign. Whatever happened, it seems extremely abrupt - usually if a resignation is in the works, notice will be given; in Torres' case, that would also give NYS a chance to search for a new Pres. She is a responsible public servant and no doubt would have given notice - probably would have penned a graceful exit message to the community as well. Probably something did occur for her to resign or be "encouraged" to resign, which may or may not remain cloaked in mystery.
Jesse, i agree. But at the same time, kitty pretty much summed up my thoughts that i did not initially type.
Abrupt resignation with no exit message is a clue of something bad. We experienced that in the past!
total speculation on your part, if she was responsible to her post, she would have given notice, you are guessing at a lot.
I sincerely doubt Ms. Torres's resignation had anything to do with the IH ground lease extension (GLE). The GLE just happened to be business that was being conducted at the time of her departure. Had there been other contractual paperwork that needed signing right away, the same authorization for Any Vice President would have applied similarly.
Jesse Webster, you're entertainingly ridiculous. To rhetorically cut of discussion "Only presidents of other public benefit corporations are qualified to speak on this matter ..." is your proposal. So that would exclude RIOC Board members, RIOC Vice Presidents, RIOC General Counsel, RIOC staff, our legislators, the Governor, the Governor's staff, the newspapers, and such. It seems your point is to preempt any comments critical of RIOC or PSD.
Maybe, but wasn't Shane canned by the Board for the same reason - his refusal to sign over the ground lease?
Let's see - in my comment I did say it's pure speculation. We could also speculate that the brouhaha over Steuber's dismissal somehow backfired and she was asked to quit by the Governor - since that was one of the last things to occur right before she left. As far as her being responsible to her post, who's to say if she was or she wasn't? Southpoint Park was completed - is certainly something she can be proud of. The FDR Memorial is slated to open next month. The Tram waiting area upgrade project is underway. We now have red bus service to Southpoint Park. She saw to it that the windows in Motorgate were scrubbed. The Chapel Plaza pavement reconstruction project was completed successfully. The decision to grant Sal the Pier for his second restaurant certainly was a huge success. The Shops on Main St are (sort of) taking off. The Meditation Steps reconstruction project is dragging, but then again there are so many other projects taking place (roof repair of Chapel, various paving projects). I would say she was as responsible as any other Chief Executive could have been - probably delegated alot of the actual hands-on management to her deputies etc. An abrupt departure can certainly mean she has personal or family problems but even in that case she could have given notice, and possibly written a farewell message to the community. It's likely we will never learn the actual reason for her departure due to the need to maintain confidentiality (just like no-one on the RIOC Board ever admitted they canned Shane because he was standing in the way of signing over the ground leases). I'm sure she'll continue with her career in public service - probably resurface in Albany eventually.
Webster's comment is patently ridiculous - perhaps satirical - so why give it the "validation" of a "serious" reply? This is only a blog and anyone can and does comment on a whole range of issues - law enforcement, Albany politics, and so forth - we all know this - including Webster!
I agree that Webster is off base here, but so is Farance at times. He rambles about loads of stuff on this blog - most of which he knows little about. He likes to see his name in Blue Bold. But, I agree Kitty, Freedom of Speech, etc.
Who knows why Torres left. She was rarely around anyway. Maybe she got another job where she had to start right away. Who knows? Who cares?
It is strange she left so abruptly. Can someone check back to see if all the previous RIOC Presidents also left suddenly - Berman, Blue, the rest of them. Maybe her leaving like this is just par for the course: One day they're here, the next day they're not.
Berman was forced out due to misinterprtitation of the new LAW by idiotic board members.
I don't know which board members are worst... MTA or RIOC?
The sight of everyone struggling over Jesse Webster's post is hilarious. It could not be more clearly a satirical reference to the old public safety row between LaRoche and Farance. The post is intended to come at LaRoche's expense, and, by implication, to Frank's benefit. Which is what makes it doubly hilarious that Frank, like a malfunctioning computer, takes issue Jesse's post.
KidKilowatt, I'm sure you're aware that humor, sarcasm, etc. can get lost without gestures/etc, but none of those queue are present Jesse Webster's post. Given that Mr./Ms. Webster has had wacky posts in the past, not too different from this post, certainly it is within reason to expect that his/her comments would be similar to other posts, right?
Please provide evidence for your claims that my past posts have been "wacky" and that this particular post lacks sarcastic queues. And please refrain from implying I am ambiguously gendered by employing several gender-specific honorifics ... If you don't know whether I'm male or female, just use my full name.
I don't think your post was "wacky" but I don't see how it could have been taken seriously. It was tongue in cheek at the very least. True, it is difficult to pick up sarcasm or irony in electronic communications - but your post was so over-the-top preposterous, it was obviously not "serious". Even Frank said it was "entertainingly ridiculous". Has it occurred to the "assembled commenters" that Frank may have been replying in kind - possibly in a Keatonesque, deadpan, seemingly "ultra-serious" way, and that maybe none of us got it?
You hold none of those traits yourself. Your posts are just a "wacky".
Did you get a hobby yet?
Mr./Ms. Webster, your "wacky" comments are easy to cite, such as your
multiple complaints on CheshireKitty around 08-11 on Romney's VP pick.
Comments that start "Funny, Cheshire, on this blog .." and "I think the
history of your [CheshireKitty's] comments on this site reflects an
intolerance for those who disagree with you, much more than the crusade
against elitism and hypocrisy you discuss above. And also an intolerance
for inconvenient facts.".
There are other comments, too, such as
CheshireKitty's explanation of a 1970's architectural aesthetic, to
which you responded "Are you on bath salts?! That's the only
justification I can imagine for
such a disjointed misinterpretation of reality. I can't imagine how
frustrating it must be to live with the cacophony of the echo chamber
inside your skull".
As for your gender, rather than guess and be wrong, why not tell us and make it simpler so we don't have to use he/she.
As
for providing evidence of nothing, that's impossible to do ("providing
evidence that this particular post lacks sarcastic queues"). The point
is, if you want fewer misinterpretations of your words, you should give
consideration to crafting words that provide the best possibility of
readers conjuring the interpretation you desire. (Communications 101)
Since
most of you are anonymous (a.k.a. Keyboard Courage), I only know you by
what you post - no faces, no conversations, etc. to pick up other cues.
I never discussed Romney's VP pick on this blog. As for the others, I don't think they're wacky. Cue Keyboard Cat to play you off ... http://youtu.be/J---aiyznGQ
OMG ROTFLMAO that was so funny!! How did they ever get that poor kitty to play those tunes! I love that video - but wouldn't dare share it on fb for fear of offending the pro-cat folks... (of which I am one - although I still find the video hilarious)!
Jesse is a Biblical male name so as far as I am concerned, Jesse is a man. Secondly, we all occasionally use heightened language in an attempt to "demolish" an opponent. The "You didn't build it" controversy that I commented on back in August, that some commenters then thought resembled what I do in my oppositional posts, I think I eventually convinced those commenters that I don't exactly take quotes out of context and twist them around to make the author of the quote seem to be saying the opposite. As I said then, I am forthright about opposing someone and if necessary will quote a portion of what they have to say; I don't start with a quote out of context and use it to show the person said something they didn't say. Also - I could care less what is said about or to me in this blog, although it would be nice if, rather than the discourse focus on individual commenters and petty disputation, we discuss actual issues. For example, this thread was originally about the departure of Leslie Torres as RIOC President. Since we do not know the reason for her leaving, various theories to account for her departure have been advanced. Here's another theory: Cuomo "asked" Torres to quit because there is another "candidate" waiting in the wings to be appointed RIOC President. The "process" of picking a President isn't really a search process at all - it's rewarding a faithful politico with a plum job, and as such, the succession is a done deal. Wait and see who the next RIOC President is - probably someone very close to and very effective at supporting Cuomo.
Jesse Webster, you posted four times on the Romney's VP pick article, see "http://rooseveltislander.blogspot.com/2012/08/mitt-romney-picks-paul-ryan-as.html".
You could easily answer the question of male/female, so one could use his or her rather than his/her, but it seems to me that your withholding that answer is just bait for someone to get it wrong. Contrary to CheshireKitty, I've seen Jesse (spelled that way) used for male/female. So I'll continue to use him/her until I hear confirmation either way.
"I'm sure you're aware that humor, sarcasm, etc. can get lost without gestures/etc"
How do you read novels? Do you hire a mime?
Mr./Ms. Farance, I see now.
"On Romney's VP pick" referred to the post, and not Paul Ryan. I also don't think those posts are wacky.
Certainly not as wacky as your record of hijacking most discussion threads on this blog to present your opinions as expertise (i.e. referring to your "meteorological training" and measuring the sight lines outside Eastwood to conclude that removing the windows along the arcade would cause anyone walking along Main Street to either freeze to death, or be hit by a car).
My style of sarcasm clearly goes over your head, since every time I've employed it on this blog you've initiated a rhetorical analysis of my current and past posts. Of course, by responding to you, I'm only feeding into your desire to turn every discussion on this blog into a quagmire of stupidity, so I'll stop now.
It's one of the most-viewed YouTube videos of all time ... Tens of millions of views. It's probably my favorite meme.
KidKilowatt, did you really need to make that point so easily rebutted? Jesse Webster's statement was a sentence with no other cues, novels last more than a sentence, so there is more context to give cues.
Jesse Webster, you had an opportunity to dispute the results of the analysis of the sight lines on the Eastwood arcade. Is it your point that anyone who tries to bring expertise to better understand a problem (for the benefit of the community) is faulted for doing so? Or is it that you're out of arguments and only able to snipe anonymously? (And, yes, as an instrument-rated pilot, I've had training in meteorology and as an official weather observer.)
CheshireKitty, according to 1990 US Census,
"Jesse is a very popular first name for women (#1044 out of 4276)",
see "http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Jesse". With so many posts from Jesse Webster, I hope
he/she lets us know male/female, so "his/her" phrasing can be
avoided. (FYI, I am a male.)
A male what?
Frank is a somewhat popular first name for women (#2691 out of 4276) and an even more popular surname or last name for all people (#453 out of 88799). (1990 U.S. Census)
http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/0/Frank#3rQgRy6uyfCiwm6K.99
I see you found a hobby of census tracking.
Close but no cigar. Not a real hobby.
Did you try flying an instrumented kite?
Since you know meteorology so good, you can find an optimal day to fly your kite for maximum kite performance.
It's funny that the driest person on this board is talking about humor and sarcasm! That's like Ben Stein trying to crack a joke! Remember... The cleareyes commercial guy?!
LoL! That means laughing out loud!
In all fairness, it is sometimes difficult to convey "emotion" in electronic communications - which is why emoticons were invented. The question is why writers didn't feel they needed to put in symbols to convey emotions prior to the internet age.
That's a relatively recent trend - giving girls either male names or male-sounding names in hopes it will give them an edge in a world that is still largely male-dominated. Today, Madison is a popular female name, and obviously female names like Marsha, Barbara and Linda have faded -- too female-sounding. I'm not surprised that parents are naming girls after Jesse, a male Biblical figure.
Yeah - as in Frankie and Johnnie. Frank for a gal though - have to be honest I never heard of a female named Frank. The only famous Jesse, aside from the Biblical figure, I can think of is Jesse James - a man.
Indeed - using he or she hasn't been an issue for any other commenters. Why is it important either way? Maybe he's transgendered - or maybe he/she doesn't want us to know to what gender he is assigned. Jesse may be a hermaphrodite for all we know. No matter what - why make an issue of it? Nobody cares what the gender is of a commenter -- what difference does it make in terms of what they say or don't say?
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