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.
