Roosevelt Island Resident Says It's "Insane" RIOC Board Members "Not Privy To Operational Matters", Asks How Can We Fix "Beyond Broken" RIOC? - Petition Drive By Residents Demands A Functioning & Competent RIOC

On November 2, recently appointed Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board Director Ben Fhala responded to this email message from a concerned Roosevelt Island resident requesting:

Please can you let RIOC know that it is a ridiculous plan to take one tram out of service THIS Fri/Sat on a weekend when NYC will see a huge increase of tourists ( and likely Tram use) because of the NYC Marathon as well as use by guests from a fully booked Graduate Hotel.

The lack of oversight and foresight is absolutely absurd. Why are we paying senior staff at RIOC so much when they don't even have the intelligence to look at a calendar. 

Mr Fhala replied:

Thank you for your message. Unfortunately, I cannot comment on operational matters as most board members, including myself, are not regularly updated on daily operational affairs. My main source of information is the RIOC Advisories, and that is the extent of our access to such matters.

I don't have information about the urgency, complexities, vendor coordination, expected time frame, or whether the work will conclude before the afternoon rush hour.

The chair has forwarded your feedback to Shelton, Our CEO, who has acknowledged receipt. We hope he will either forward it to the relevant department or provide you with more context.

We appreciate your engagement with the board and look forward to hearing from you in our next Board meeting scheduled for November 14th.

P.S. I usually wait a few days before responding to allow time for others to contribute. As a new resident board member, I've made it my mission to ensure that all emails sent to the board receive a response, even if it's just an acknowledgment when we lack additional information to share.

Another Roosevelt Island resident, Roberta Kleiman shares this message she sent to the RIOC Board of Directors on November 3 after reading Mr Fahla's response:

Please let's fix this broken system!

Dear RIOC Board,

How can we fix this????

I feel compelled to comment that Ben Fhala's statement:

"….Unfortunately, I cannot comment on operational matters as most board members, including myself, are not regularly updated on daily operational affairs. My main source of information is the RIOC Advisories, and that is the extent of our access to such matters.” 

is extremely disturbing to read. I don’t mean Mr. Fhala per se. He seems like a responsible Board member, and I appreciate his forthrightness. It’s just unfathomable to me that the Board who is supposed to oversea our governance, is not privy to operational matters. That’s INSANE! Sadly, it’s consistent with what you reported on recently regarding communication between the board and RIOC staff, something along the lines of RIOC employees not being allowed to talk to RIOC board members and vice versa. (I hope I have that straight). This system is beyond broken.

The RIOC Board needs to obtain the tools necessary to effectively and fairly govern our Island. Isn’t that supposed to be RIOC’s and the Board's purpose?

Please let’s fix this!

I will do my part to help. Just say the word!

Best Regards,

 Mr. Fhala replied to Ms Kleinman:

I concur with your assessment that "This system is beyond broken."

We are committed to shedding light on the situation, recognizing that the issues extend beyond the current executive team. Unfortunately, the lack of governance and oversight permeates the organization from top to bottom and has been enabled by the designated RIOC board chair from NY State Homes & Community Renewal (HCR). Historically, board members had unrestricted access to RIOC staff and executives, and while some existing members still do, the notion of blocking oversight board members from engaging with executives and staff is a recent development under the leadership of Shelton Haynes. According to whistleblowers, he has directed his staff to respond only when he approves communications. In fact, the staff received an email from RIOC's Chief of Staff instructing them to direct all interaction with board members to Shelton Haynes and Gretchen Robinson in late August. The new resident board members have raised this issue with the board chair designee, who has chosen to ignore it. The chair designee informed us multiple times that we should not involve ourselves in "operational matters." Unfortunately, given the pending lawsuit filed by Shelton Haynes and Gretchen Robinson against RIOC oversight members, it appears they have adopted a legalistic and secretive approach, leaving new resident board members without guidance or direction.

Nonetheless, we remain optimistic that shedding light on these matters will eventually lead to positive change. In the meantime, our commitment to transparency and genuine oversight drives us to bring these issues to the forefront. Currently our attention is on macro matters of gaining access and figuring out who has accountability to oversight if we can't gain access to staff, contracts or operational matters.

Thanks,

Ben Fhala*

Resident Board Member

*Disclaimer: All statements made by Ben Fhala are made in his capacity as a RIOC Resident Board member. He does not represent the entirety of RIOC or the full board but serves as a Resident Board member, offering information to the community and its stakeholders.

Ms Kleiman followed up responding to Mr Fhala:

Thank you for taking the time out of your weekend to give such an informative, thoughtful, and dare I say, courageous response to my email!

I appreciate the work you and your fellow new resident board members are doing to create a board that can lead. I wholeheartedly agree with you; shedding light on the situation is a necessary and powerful first step. I too hope this will be the catalyst for change. However, I fear that “light” alone will not fix a deeply broken system. Especially given the information you provided regarding the push back from other RIOC directors and the designated board chair from HCR. It surely is a complicated situation, and I am not close enough to have an inkling of what to do. But surely ACTION is needed. Perhaps getting our politicians involved is the answer, or maybe members of our various community groups? Or something else?

Rick, from the Roosevelt Islander has been a consistent, major force in getting information to the community. But again, that alone doesn’t seem to be the answer while we are in crisis mode. I feel like we are being held hostage by Shelton Hayes, Gretchen Robinson, and their lawsuit.

I wish I could offer something in terms of ACTION and a solution, but as I said before, I will surely do my part (letters, petitions, etc.). Just say the word!

Thank you again!

PS. Since we both feel strongly about the need for transparency, I assume not included the Roosevelt Islander in your cc was an oversight

Mr Fhala replied:

When communicating with members of our community, I make a point not to add individuals to the cc list out of respect for their privacy, in this case yours.

On my part, I neither expect nor seek privacy. All of my communications are, and should be, public records. My purpose is to serve the public and safeguard RIOC's long-term interests. As long as the executive team and those working behind the scenes maintain my position, I am dedicated to fulfilling these responsibilities.

That said, I respect your judgment in deciding with whom you choose to share my public record communications and whom you wish to include in the cc list.

Regarding the impact of light, The Lubavitche Rebbie once said that the smallest of candles can illuminate an entire room. I tend to agree. Whether it brings about change, I cannot say for certain, but from my small and seemingly unimportant role, I will keep a candle nearby so I can see.

Thanks,

Ben Fhala*

Resident Board Member

*Disclaimer: All statements made by Ben Fhala are made in his capacity as a RIOC Resident Board member. He does not represent the entirety of RIOC or the full board but serves as a Resident Board member, offering information to the community and its stakeholders.

Among action items for Roosevelt Island residents to fix RIOC mentioned by Ms Kleiman was a Petition drive. 

It so happens that Roosevelt Island resident Paul Krikler, who has successfully organized previous Roosevelt Island petition drives to fix the Roosevelt Island Bridge bike lane and  bring OMNY to the Roosevelt Island Tram, has organized a new petition drive demanding:

We Need a Functioning & Competent RIOC

Mr Krikler adds:

I see the benefit of direct voting for RIOC Directors as not only providing much needed oversight but also opening the door for the many, many people here who have great ideas about how this community can be better served.

If you agree Roosevelt Island needs a functioning and competent RIOC, sign the petition here.