Resident Wants Better Communications Between Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board Of Directors and Community - Any Ideas? Meet The RIOC Board Nominee Candidates And Ask Questions This Thursday 8 PM - Vote In Election February 7

Image Of December 2011 RIOC Board of Directors Meeting

Roosevelt Island resident Ashton Barfield would like to see improved communications between the Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) resident Board Of Directors and members of the community. Ms. Barfield writes:

To the elected RIOC Board members, the February 7 candidates for the Board, and the rest of the Island residents:

A lot of Roosevelt Islanders feel that the elected members of the RIOC Board need to tell the community what they’re doing and thinking -- that this kind of communication is part of their responsibilities as our representatives.

And a lot of Roosevelt Islanders don’t know how to provide input to the Board members, or are frustrated by the options -- the group email on the RIOC website, private emails if you know members’ addresses, buttonholing them somewhere.

I’m writing to invite Board members, candidates for the Board, and the rest of the community to think hard and creatively about how to improve communication, in both directions, without increasing the sizable amount of time that Board members already devote to this unpaid job.

So, everyone, scratch your heads, talk among yourselves, and share your ideas publicly -- via comments on the Roosevelt Islander blog and letters to The WIRE. (This week, The WIRE expects to debut a revised Website NYC10044.com, with provisions for a community dialogue.)

We have a RIOC Board election next week, and another in November. It’s a great time to be asking candidates -- newbies or veterans, running now or running later -- for their ideas about communication, and what they would do to improve it.

(A virtually identical version of this letter appeared in the Letters to the Editor of the January 28 edition of The Main Street WIRE.)

More information on the February 7 RIOC Board Nominee election here.

There will be a Meet the Candidate Night Thursday February 2, 8 PM at Good Shepherd Community Center. Come with your questions.

If you are concerned with how Roosevelt Island is governed and services provided, this is your opportunity to learn more and to help decide the future of Roosevelt Island.

PLEASE VOTE ON FEBRUARY 7. All residents 18 years of age or older can vote and you do not have to be a US citizen. Learn more here.

I will have candidate statements published later today or tomorrow.