Meet RIOC President/CEO Candidate Leslie Torres At Tonight's Roosevelt Island Residents Association Town Hall Meeting - But Why Only One Candidate?

Image Of RIOC President/CEO Candidate Leslie Torres From Main Street WIRE

Here's a reminder from Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Frank Farance that a RIRA Town Hall Meeting in which Leslie Torres (DHCR Deputy Commissioner for Office of Rent Administration), a candidate for new Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) President/CEO will be available to meet and answer questions from the community. From Mr. Farance:

Meet Ms. Leslie Torres, the candidate for RIOC CEO/President. RIRA will host a town meeting Tuesday, August 3, 8 PM at the Good Shepherd. We hope the community comes out to meet the candidate and ask questions. Those residents who sent me questions at rira president@rira council.org no later than NOON Monday, August 2 will have their questions forwarded to Ms. Torres and will get first priority on answers at Tuesday night's meeting.

As reported in earlier post, former DHCR Commissioner Deborah Van Amerongen described Ms. Torres as follows:

... I would like to introduce you to our newly-appointed Deputy Commissioner for Rent Administration, Leslie Torres, who is here with me today. Prior to joining DHCR, Ms. Torres was the Assistant Commissioner for Enforcement at the New York City Department of Buildings. There she managed enforcement units responsible for bringing NYC properties into compliance with the Building Code. Prior to that Leslie was the head of the NYC Loft Board, so she is very familiar with having to balance the interests of landlords and tenants...

On Wednesday, August 4 there will be a special meeting of the Roosevelt Island Board Of Directors:

PLEASE TAKE NOTICE that special meeting of the Board of Directors will be held on Wednesday, August 4, 2010 at 5:30 p.m. at the Manhattan Park Community Center, 8 River Road, Roosevelt Island, New York, for the purpose of transacting such business as shall come before the Board.

Among the items on the Agenda under New Business is:

1. Appointment of Leslie Torres to the Position of President/Chief Executive Officer of the Corporation (Board Action Required);

Upon seeing this item Agenda, I inquired of the RIOC Board:

Do you have any comment to share with the Roosevelt Island community regarding the August 4 Special RIOC Board Meeting Agenda Item to appoint Leslie Torres as the new RIOC President/CEO, particularly why is there only one candidate being considered?

RIOC Board Director Faye Christian replied:

the agenda was worded incorrectly. We will consider or discuss Leslie Torres as a candidate.

As stated in earlier post on subject:

What happened to the idea of considering multiple candidates for the position of RIOC President/CEO? Is Assembly Member Micah Kellner's legislation, though not yet signed by the Governor, regarding RIOC governance that:

gives the public a role in the process of hiring the RIOC President—requiring the Board of Directors to consider at least three candidates for the job and to hold hearings allowing members of the public as well as Board members to interview the candidates.

to be ignored in the selection of the new RIOC President/CEO.

To my knowledge, no advertising or search committee has been formed to select a new RIOC President/CEO and as of now Ms.Torres, who may be an excellent candidate and RIOC President, is the only person being considered for the position.

I do know of at least one other person who is interested in the position of RIOC President/CEO - former RIOC Director Mark Ponton. Mr. Ponton sent the following message to DHCR Commissioner/RIOC Chairperson Brian Lawlor:

Brian:

We haven't met but I'm hoping this application changes that.

I want to apply for the position of the President of RIOC.

I'm not quite sure how the system works now or will work in the future but the recent action by the Board brought it much closer to normal corporate behavior than any time in the past so I'm assuming that the board will now form a three-person executive search committee made up solely of current members of the board. That subcommittee will then review candidates based on resumes, and from those interviews propose one or two candidates to the full board for subsequent submission to Albany, where a confirmation will take place. This will be. admittedly, a monumentally important procedural routine because it will empower the board to act like a real board does in real corporate life.

There are a couple of things which in addition to my resume and background may matter. Those are:

25+ year resident of Roosevelt Island.

Six year member of the RIOC board.

one year chair of Real Estate committee

five year chair of Operations Committee

I'm ready to talk to anyone, anytime. If you feel that's necessary.

Thanks

The June 2002 Main Street WIRE profiled Mr. Ponton upon his appointment to the RIOC Board of Directors:

... “I think my experience in business, across many lines – banking, computers, wireless and telephone communications, real estate, and office equipment – gives me insight into the soundness of any business. I know what constitutes a good and a bad deal. I am used to dealing with people at high levels and I won’t be intimidated by anyone I meet [on the Board]. This is not arrogance. That’s just the way I am. I am not awed by title, I am awed by intelligence and discipline and quality.”...

and the most recent WIRE has an article about Ms. Torres.

I have no issue with Ms. Torres proposed appointment as President/CEO of RIOC other than the selection process should include more than one qualified candidate in order to get the best possible person to fill the position.

UPDATE 5:30 PM - RIOC Director Jonathan Kalkin responds:

Ms. Torres is being considered for the position of the Presidency and I am interested to see her meet the community and answer questions tonight. Ms. Torres and other candidates have been interviewed/considered by board members.