RIOC Board Of Directors Meeting Thursday June 20, Will Status Of RIOC Leadership Be Resolved? 2024 Fiscal Year Annual Report, $213 Thousand 3 Year Holiday Lights Contract & Bike Ramp/Lane Contract Termination Among Items On The Meeting Agenda

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corp (RIOC) Board of Directors

will meet Thursday June 20 in the Good Shepherd Community Center (543 Main Street) beginning at 5:30 pm.

You're invited to attend, ask questions and share concerns about Roosevelt Island during the opening Public Session before the start of the RIOC Board meeting. Sign up to speak here.

As reported earlier this month, RIOC Deputy General Counsel and Interim Leadership Team member Gerrald Ellis announced he will be leaving RIOC at the end of the month.

Will the status of Mr Ellis and RIOC leadership be addressed at tomorrow's RIOC Board meeting?

Roosevelt Island Historical Society (RIHS) President Judy Berdy shares this message she sent to RIOC Board Chair/ NY State Division of Homes & Community Renewal (DHCR) Commissioner RuthAnne Visnauskas:

Roosevelt Island needs Gerrald Ellis.

In the six months Ellis has been acting head of RIOC, he has been an approachable, hands on manager..

He has extensive knowledge of real estate, law and finance.

He has a great relationship with the community and has repaired many relationships that former heads of have ignored. He is working to Attack the backlog of problems that have been ignored for years

We need Gerrald to continue leading RIOC to the betterment of the island we live on.

Ms Visnauskas replied:

Thank you for the note Judy. Gerald has been a great asset for RIOC. He has recently accepted a new job at a private firm. We will be seeking to hire a new Deputy Counsel to replace him.

I asked NY State Governor Kathy Hochul press office:

I am preparing a follow up to my June 3 story about RIOC Deputy General Counsel/Interim Leadership Team member Gerrald Ellis announcing his departure from RIOC at the end of the month.

The overwhelming consensus among the Roosevelt Island community, including residents and business leaders, is that Mr Ellis has done an excellent job in his role on the Leadership team and certainly far, far better than RIOC President Shelton Haynes who is currently on paid leave pending the conclusion of an outside law firm's investigation of him regarding allegations of certain workplace wrongdoings. Mr Haynes and General Counsel Gretchen Robinson are currently suing members of the Governor's staff, DHCR, RIOC and RIOC Board members for racial discrimination.

The investigation has been dragging on since last January preventing the interim RIOC management team from making certain hiring and project decisions necessary for effectively running RI, to the dismay of the community . The consensus of many in the Roosevelt Island community is that it is in the best interests of the community for Mr Ellis to remain and for Governor Hochul to approve Mr Ellis as RIOC President.

Does the Governor have any comment for the Roosevelt Island community on RIOC leadership and if she will approve Mr Ellis as ROC President.

Have not received a reply from the Governor's office.

Among the Agenda Items for the June 20 RIOC Board meeting are approval of a 3 year contract totaling $213,000 for annual Holiday Lights decorations and the termination of a contract regarding the proposed Bike Ramp/Lane. 

Also on the Agenda is:

... Chair’s Motion for Executive Session to Discuss:

a. proposed, pending or current litigation; and

b. the medical, financial, credit or employment history of a particular person or corporation, or matters leading to the appointment, employment, promotion, demotion, discipline, suspension, dismissal or removal of a particular person or corporation....

Here's the full Agenda for the June 20, 2024 RIOC Board of Directors Meeting.

Board materials with supporting info for agenda items are here.