Roosevelt Island Residents Association Meeting Tonight To Continue Witch Hunt Seeking To Expel RIRA Member - Internal Dissension Threatens To Implode RIRA

Image Of December 2013 RIRA Meeting

The Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) will be meeting tonight, 8 PM, at the Manhattan Park Theater Club (8 River Road)

As always, prior to the start of each monthly meeting there is a public session in which residents can come and address the Common Council Delegates on any issue of concern.

Unfortunately, some RIRA members are continuing their pursuit/Witch Hunt

 She's A Witch Image From Monty Python & Holy Grail

 to expel Frank Farance from the Common Council as noted in Item 8 of the Agenda below.

Please note VENUE CHANGE

Please arrive a half hour early to help set up tables and Chairs

Date: Wednesday February 5, 2014

Time: 8:00 pm-Finish

Place: Manhattan Park Theatre Club / 8 RR immediately following Cornell Town Hall meeting

1. Public Session (8:00) Geof Kerr

2. Roll Call

3. President’s report

4. Elect a secretary

5. Approval of the January minutes

6. Approval of the agenda

7. Treasurer’s report

8. Second part of procedure to expel Council Member

9. Committee reports- Unless there is a resolution, Committee Chairs get 3 minutes to summarize their committee work.

Government Relations- Select a new committee chair

Communications- resolution

Ethics committee- Chair not present. Code will be discussed in March RIRA meeting after a public meeting is held on February 20.

SC&E- resolutions

Public purpose fund

Constitution and ByLaws

Housing

Public Safety-resolutions

Island Services

Planning-Resolution

Main Street Retail

10. Old business

11. New business

This witch hunt against Mr. Farance has been going on since last November dominating every RIRA Common Council meeting since being introduced and threatens to implode RIRA as a viable Roosevelt Island residents organization. As reported following the January RIRA meeting:

... I did not think it was possible for RIRA to look more foolish than it already has on this issue, but I was wrong. The issue on whether to expel Mr. Farance was postponed to next month after a very long, heated and contentious discussion. There are several RIRA members who hate Mr. Farance so much that they appear willing to have RIRA implode from within unless Mr. Farance is expelled. In my view, the majority of RIRA members do not support expelling Mr. Farance and just want to move on to more important issues facing the community....

Let's see what happens tonight.

Stay tuned.

Update 11:35 PM - At almost 11 PM tonight, the RIRA Common Council voted to indefinitely postpone the motion to expel Mr. Farance. The vote effectively puts a stop to this draining and unproductive nonsense. Unfortunately, after the vote, several supporters of the motion to expel Mr. Farance, including RIRA President Polivy, said they are resigning from RIRA.

Prior to the expulsion motion being heard, supporters of the motion attempted to have the discussion conducted in Executive Session, meaning it would be in secret, closed to the public and the press. I strenuously objected to having the public and myself kicked out of the meeting as did many RIRA members. A vote was taken that rejected the motion to go into executive session.

The Circus was certainly here on Roosevelt Island tonight.

UPDATE 2/6 - Video of expulsion discussion here.