2014 Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Common Council Election Results

 Image Of November 4 RIRA Election Voting At PS/IS 217

Here are the results of the 2014 Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) election.

There were a total of 998 ballots cast yesterday and 7 absentee ballots for a total of 1005 votes cast.

Jeff Escobar was elected RIRA President with 908 votes cast. He was unopposed.

Sherie Helstien was elected Vice President with a total of 545 votes.

The vote count for the other Vice President Candidates is:

• Helen Chirivas received 199 votes,
• Sharon Pope received 181 votes and 
• M. Pathak received 86 votes.

The Island House winners are:

• Adib Mansour - 137 votes
• John Dougherty -118 votes
• Rossana Ceruzzi - 114 Votes

Island House Alternate Delegates are:

• Frank Farance - 72 votes
• Andrew Giacalone - 70 votes
• Mihaela Preradovice - 42  votes
• Helen Chirivas - 26  votes and
• Russell Fields - 23 votes

The Westview winners are:

• Erin Feeley-Nahem -82 votes
• Sherie Helstien - 71 votes
• Julie Palermo - 52 votes

Westivew Alternate Delegates are

• Susan Marcus - 42 votes (Ms. Marcus becomes the 3rd Westview Delegate with Ms Helstien becoming Vice President)
• David Lawson - 33 votes
• MK Pathak -26  votes

The Rivercross winners are:

• Ellen Polivy - 160 votes
• Ashton Barfield - 156 votes
• Anne Kanninen - 86 votes

Rivercross Alternate Delegates are:

• Ethel Romm - 78 votes
• Sharon Pope - 67 votes 

The Roosevelt Landings winners are:

• Joyce Short - 75 votes
• Cynthia Ahn - 67 votes
• Lynda Maynard- Hall - 58 votes
• Shirley Coley - 52  votes
• Maria Newkirk - 44 votes

546 Roosevelt Landings winner is:

• Susana del Campo-Perea - 13 votes

Manhattan Park 10 - 40 River Road winners are:

• Lynn Shinozaki - 93 votes
• Stevie White - 77 votes
• Ilonka Salisbury - 74 votes
• Todd Caplan (1 write in vote)

Manhattan Park 2 River Road:

• No Candidate

Manhattan Park 4 River Road winner is:

• Jim Bates - 10 votes   

Octagon winners are:

• Anthony Longo - 29 Votes
• Isaac Humphrie - 28 Votes
• Andrea Jones - 27 Votes

Southtown winners are:

• Eva Bosbach - 83 Votes
• Aaron Hamburger - 80 Votes
• Dave Evans - 73 Votes
• Susan Pirard - 70 Votes
• Melissa Wade - 69 Votes
• Mickey Rindler - 67 Votes
• Janet Falk - 66 Votes

Turnout

• Total Counted votes - 1005
• Island House - 218
• Manhattan Park - 126
• Manhattan Park 2RR - 7
• Manhattan Park 4RR - 12
• Octagon - 36
• Rivercross - 223
• Roosevelt Landing - 119
• Roosevelt Landing #546 - 15
• Southtown - 122
• Westview - 127

The new RIRA Common Council Members will be seated at the November RIRA meeting 8 PM tonight at the Good Shepherd Community Center (543 Main Street).

UPDATE 11/5 - The agenda for tonight's Common Council meeting is here.

How did the 2014 RIRA election vote count of 1005 compare to previous years?

In 2012 the RIRA vote count was 1834.

In 2010 the RIRA vote count was 1470.

In 2008 the RIRA vote count was 1457.

Roosevelt Island Election Day For Federal And NY State Representatives - Roosevelt Island Residents Association Common Council Too

Today is election day so make sure you get out to vote for your Federal and State representatives. The polling location for all Roosevelt Island eligible voters  is at PS/IS 217 (645 Main Street) except for Octagon residents who vote at Coler Hospital (900 Main Street). Polls are open from 6 AM - 9 PM.

Today is also election day for the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Common Council. All residents vote at PS/IS 217 except for Octagon residents who vote in their building lobby.

According to RIRA:

The purposes of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) are: 1) to represent the interests of its members to all governmental, quasi-governmental and private institutions that develop policy affecting Roosevelt Island and its residents; that supervise or manage our housing and that supervise or manage other Island operations; and 2) to ensure that the health, safety and welfare of its members and the quality of life in our community are maintained and improved....

All Roosevelt Island residents, whether US citizens or not, 18 years and older are eligible to vote for RIRA President and Vice President as well as for Common Council members for the buildings in which they live. Polls are open from 6 AM to 9 PM. To vote in the RIRA election make sure you have photo identification and evidence that you live on Roosevelt Island.

The candidates running for the 2014 RIRA Common Council are listed below.

The candidates to represent Roosevelt Island residents in Congress are (Ballot Images from Poll Site Locator):

NY State Governor and Lt Governor,

NY State Assembly,

NY State Senate,

NY State Attorney General and

NY State Comptroller

A long time Roosevelt Island resident describes the voter experience early this morning:

Went to vote this morning at 6 am.
All went well voting in general election @ 6:10

All was not well at RIRA tables -- Ballots not available. Matt Katz told me they were waiting for the ballots which were locked in the safe @ RI Public Safety and no one had combination / key.

No substitutions were offered - such as that one-page list with every candidate name on it -- which could have been used to accommodate the handful of us who came early.

For us early birds who will not be back on the Island before 9 pm tonight, that means we could not vote.

Not a good thing for RIRA.

Will have results later tonight.

UPDATE 11/5 12:20 PM - 2014 RIRA election results here.

Statements From Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Common Council Vice President Candidates - RIRA Election Tuesday November 4

On November 4, the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) will be holding elections for its new Common Council building representatives, Vice President and President.

Current RIRA Vice President Sherie Helstien is running against 3 other candidates for Vice President of the new Common Council- Helen Chirivas,  M. Pathak and Sharon Pope. As previously reported, concern has been expressed by some RIRA members that the RIRA Constitution prohibits Ms. Helstien being a candidate for Vice President because she served on the RIRA Election Committee during this election cycle. Ms Helstien replies that these concerns are not valid because she resigned from the Elections Committee and is permitted to run for Vice President.

Below are statements (in alphabetical order) from the the RIRA Vice President Candidates in support of their candidacies.

From Helen Chirivas - RIRA VP Candidate:

Thank you for extending consideration to me in connection with the vote for Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Vice President. I hereby wish to relay some information regarding my accomplishments, and what I would hope to accomplish, should I become RIRA Vice President, as well as what I hope to accomplish for the community.

I am a native of Brooklyn, having been born in the leafy Fort Greene section of that beautiful borough, on Lafayette Avenue near the Brooklyn Academy of Music. When I was a toddler, my family moved to Midwood, Brooklyn, and there I was educated at area public schools until, at the age of 13, I applied and was accepted to the High School of Music and Art (M&A), which was at that time located at 135th Street and Convent Avenue in Manhattan. I was admitted to M&A based on my fine arts portfolio, as well as grades and an interview. Following high school graduation, I graduated from Brooklyn College with a BA in English. While in college, I began working full-time during the day while taking classes at Brooklyn College at night. I followed a progressively responsible career path as an executive secretary, accumulating skills and becoming increasingly technologically adept. My focus was in non-profits, such as at institutions of higher education and at health care settings, areas that I identified as affording the greatest opportunity to help others, although I also gained valuable experience and skills while working for some years at the fast-paced Brooklyn-Long Island-Staten Island (BLISI) Mortgage Operations area of Citibank until the functions of that unit were transferred to St. Louis. My career then led me to a position for many years at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) as the executive secretary in the office of a physician-scientist, assisting him in the scholarly aspects of his career, such as preparation of textbook chapters, manuscripts and protocols, and development, as well as being the assistant often responsible for relaying his wishes to patients and the many different stake-holders in that large organization, while also ensuring that all aspects of his practice functioned together effectively on an ongoing basis. One measure of his success, to which I may have contributed to some small degree, is the fact that he never suffered a malpractice law suit in the 20+ years we were together. When he left MSKCC to accept a leadership opportunity at another fine hospital in Philadelphia, my MSKCC career also ended. After approximately 22 years on the job at MSKCC, I now devote much of my time to community, voluntary activities.

My involvement with community affairs on RI began in 2008, with the sub metering controversy at Roosevelt Landings (RL). I helped the RL Residents Association (RLRA) coordinate a campaign voicing opposition to the way sub metering was planned by the building owner, Urban American. In an effort to garner more community support, I ran for a position as district delegate on the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) and was elected from RL. The tenants association, with the help of RIRA and elected officials, managed to forestall what would have been the punitively expensive implementation of sub metering. The subsequent developments at RL include improvements by the owner with regard to installing modern thermostats, the replacement of windows, and many other efforts undertaken to minimize the financial impact of sub metering at RL.

My husband and I then moved to another development on Roosevelt Island, called Island House (IH). IH, currently in the process of privatizing since exiting the Mitchell-Lama program and converting to cooperative ownership, also has an active tenants association, called the Island House Tenants Association (IHTA). Because of the complexity and crucial importance of this coop conversion, I began to attend IHTA meetings. A key component of the IH conversion is the implementation of sub metering at IH. Sub metering at IH has been negotiated by IHTA with the owner in the context of the conversion agreement and will only be implemented after significant upgrades are put in place at the building, such as window and insulation replacement. There is a question as to whether the owner will upgrade the baseboard electrical heating units in the apartments, which are original to the building and as such are by now technologically out-of-date. The IH cooperative conversion process has been ongoing for many years, and was the culmination of complex multi-party negotiations, between the owner, RIOC, IHTA, and Empire State Development Corporation (ESDC). I will continue to be involved in this ongoing process, bringing forward the concerns of the many tenants like myself and my husband who may prefer to continue to rent instead of purchase their apartments.

In January of 2013, the Roosevelt Island community was horrified to learn of the Anthony Jones beating case. A young Roosevelt Islander named Anthony Jones who, in fact, was not charged with any crime, had been the victim of public safety over-enforcement in an unfortunate, nearly tragic, encounter with Peace Officers, also termed Public Safety Officers (PSOs) of the Roosevelt Island Public Safety Department (PSD). The beating led to a public outcry on Roosevelt Island, including an educational campaign, culminating in two well-attended community demonstrations, organized by the RIRA Public Safety Committee (PSC). The emotion and energy released by the community effort was critical in leading, in June 2013, to the replacement of the Director of PSD, who was thought to have condoned the beating of Jones. Although prior to January 2013, my focus was primarily on housing issues as they related to the privatization process of island developments, in January 2013, I, like many others, became involved in the effort to reform and develop a more community-oriented PSD. Thankfully, the new Director of PSD, Jack McManus, is more community-oriented and PSD over-enforcement problems have largely disappeared since June 2013. RIRA PSC is continuing to pursue a campaign of education in connection with the overall reform of PSD as suggested in a 2013 independent audit of PSD.

I have participated in the activities of a number of RIRA Committees since my election as district delegate, initially from RL and later from IH, such as the Housing Committee (also Housing Committee Chair 2010-2012), the Island Services Committee (ISC), the Planning Committee, and the Constitution and Bylaws (C/B) Committee, participating in all aspects of the work of these committees, including many times, offering my notes to committee chairs for their use in Minutes, contacting officials at RIOC, developing positions on issues, and in the case of the C/B Committee, working collaboratively with the committee co-members to overhaul the RIRA C/B. I coordinated the February 20, 2014 visit of a delegation from Roosevelt Island which included the RIRA Treasurer and the Planning Committee Chair, Frank Farance, to the Ravenswood Generating Station in Long Island City, Queens. I am a member of the Planning Committee work-group focusing on air quality (AQ) issues on RI, a long-standing community concern that became more acute with the community’s concerns regarding the Cornell-Technion project’s impact on AQ on Roosevelt Island. In this capacity, I contacted the scientists at Queens College (QC) who conduct the New York City Community Air Survey (NYCCAS) about our community’s AQ concerns and put Mr. Farance in touch with them so that information could be exchanged as to the best way to conduct AQ monitoring on Roosevelt Island. Thanks to the efforts of Mr. Farance, working collaboratively with the QC scientists, an AQ monitoring program within the NYCCAS system was proposed to RIOC, which would include the installation of several AQ monitoring devices on Roosevelt Island. I intend to continue to extend my assistance to Mr. Farance and the RIRA Planning Committee on the AQ issue and other matters of community concern, including land use and emergency preparedness issues, on an ongoing basis, as well as continue my efforts with regard to housing and public safety issues, within the context of the respective RIRA committees. In addition to my IH district delegate status, at the RIRA Common Council (CC) Meeting, on March 5, 2014, I was elected by a vote of unanimous approval to the position of RIRA Secretary.

My interest in the RIRA Vice Presidency stems from my involvement in community issues on Roosevelt Island. I am deeply concerned about the ongoing success and viability of the Roosevelt Island community, conceived as a visionary experiment in the 1969, in a joint partnership between the City and State of New York, under the leadership of then Mayor Lindsay and Governor Rockefeller. I strongly believe in the concept espoused in Roosevelt Island’s General Development Plan (GDP) which called for the founding of a mixed-income community based on the development of both affordable and middle-class housing for residents of modest means including the elderly and disabled, as well as the provision of market rate housing for more well-off residents.

I see myself as an advocate for the Roosevelt Island community, as described above, and if elected to the RIRA Vice Presidency, I would continue my involvement in community affairs so as to bring residents’ concerns to the table at RIRA. If elected, I am ready to accept the honor and responsibility of the RIRA Vice Presidency at this critical juncture in the development of Roosevelt Island, a time of great change for our community resulting from the ongoing construction at Southtown and at the Cornell-Technion campus. Together, we can work to meet the upcoming challenges and improve the lives of everyone on Roosevelt Island.

Thank you for your time and attention to my Statement.

From Sherie Helstien-RIRA VP Candidate

Having taken a year and a-half off from serving on RIRA, I returned this past March and was able to take an empty seat on the Common Council representing Westview. I was nominated and voted into the position of Vice President serving under Jeff Escobar who had taken over the position of president of the organization upon the resignation of RIRA President Polivy.

Over the past 17 years, I have served on RIRA, first as a delegate from Manhattan Park and later from Westview. I have been very active in the organization:

- Helping create the Legal Action Fund Committee whose sole purpose was to fight the way development was taking place in what we all knew was coming in Southtown. The residents failed to win the legal fights in the courts as we were deemed as “without standing”.

- Becoming Housing Chair and created a Renters’ Insurance Fair which emanated from an apartment fire in what was then known as Eastwood. The residents of that apartment thought, mistakenly, that the management would replace their lost belongings. I saw a need to educate the community about their rights and responsibilities as renters. It was a successful two-day event to which I was able to bring in to speak to the audience, among many others, the State Insurance Commissioner.

- Fundraising for RIRA (many of you have bought two iterations of hats and visors that I and the SC&E Committee members sold you!), as well as,

- Working the with the PTA to create the “Roosevelt Island International Cookbook” which grew out of wonderful international dishes created and served by mothers of PS/IS217 students at their International Dinners! I think the PTA still has many of these books left, but I and RIRA members sold all of RIRA’s! It was an interesting learning experience in publishing a book.

- Supporting my RIRA colleagues who have put on some marvelous and fun theme parties to bring our community together, as well as our summer evening dances on the Pier, and, as well outdoor movies (before RIOC ever did this);

- I supported RIRA colleagues who created our 9/11 Memorial Garden on the Church Plaza, and worked with them organizing, for several years, the memorial programs we held annually for ten years after that tragic event. We always had a wonderful turnout, and our Special Ops Firefighters on the Island nearly always showed up to participate.

- I’m proud to have worked with the Lynne Shinozaki, our past RIRA Chair of the SC&E Committee on the wonderful Cherry Blossom Festivals she’s produced, and which began the year of the tragic Japanese tsunami and nuclear plant debacle (2011-12?). The first CBF was supposed to be a fundraiser for RIRA, but this community raised nearly $10,000 and RIRA sent every penny, through the Japanese Consulate, to aid agencies in Japan.

- I’m proud to have been part of that period when we’ve had a more positive relationship with RIOC. I hope that we can reclaim that relationship again, soon. I am also proud to have been the person who headed the Public Relations (PR) for our four RIOC Board “elections” (as offered to us by Governor Spitzer) to put on a community plebiscite, putting up candidates as RIOC Board nominees, whose names, in order of votes received, were sent to the Governor’s office for appointment. It’s the closest we’ve been able to come to having a local democratic “process” of direct representation in this bedeviled community.

- I have been active on the Legislative sub-Committee of the Government Relations Committee of RIRA, whose sole purpose has been to try to change the legislation that created RIOC into something that would give back to this community what every other community has: a “say” on how and by whom we are governed, as opposed to being ruled by New York State’s Governor, or as we sometimes refer to it: “the Second Floor”. I am sad to say that we have met with nothing but frustration and deafness from Albany.

I believe that RIRA’s members have done more positive things in the community than some few would recognize. RIRA is an organization of volunteers, of people who have full time jobs, families, sick spouses or kids and other familial responsibilities as well. Newer members who are just “learning the ropes” of how this organization functions, what its limitations are, and what they can do to have a positive impact, have a learning curve that some have tried to use negatively. It takes a clear head and positive attitude to learn who the people are who work with others positively and get things done.

I believe I am the more qualified candidate for Vice President having served on RIRA for 17 years with an understanding of RIRA’s possibilities and its limits.

Have not received statement from RIRA VP candidates Sharon Pope or M. Pathak. Will update with their statements if received.

Here is the list of RIRA Candidates running for Common Council President, Vice President and building representatives.

Statement From Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Candidate For Common Council President Jeff Escobar

 Image of RIRA President Jeff Escobar From CB 8 Speaks Video

Jeff Escobar is the current President of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA). On November 4, RIRA will be holding elections for its new Common Council building representatives, Vice President and President.

Mr. Escobar is running unopposed for RIRA President. Below is statement from Mr. Escobar in support of his candidacy for RIRA President.

Infighting. Internal politics. Organizational power struggles. These are not the foundations of what the Roosevelt Island Residents Association or its Common Council were founded on nor built upon. Unfortunately, as Vice-President, I was forced to ascend to the office of the President of the Common Council under such an atmosphere when the Common Council’s past president resigned earlier this year. Truly, what I had inherited was a dispirited and self-involved body that was representative of no one except itself, and who seemed to have lost both its way and its community goodwill.

When I undertook the office of President with only six or so months remaining of the past administration’s 24 month term, my goals were relatively simple: to bring stability to a house that had come unglued, to inject a sense of professionalism and community pride in those sitting members who chose to remain on the Common Council, to restore legitimacy back to the work of the Common Council, and to right the ship so that the new Common Council – the one that is being elected this year – would have a vehicle and foundation to be successful in its coming term. My thought was then, as it is now, that the only way that the Common Council can be focused on doing the work of the Island people is if it, itself, had rid itself of its inefficiencies, its internal politics and power struggles, and its focus on everything except the needs of the Island and its residents.

I will not say that complete success has been reached. We can and should always do better. What has been reached is a willingness and desire to get on with the work of the Island and to do what the Common Council was elected originally to do: to be the voice and advocate for the Island and to bind the ties that make us, Roosevelt Islanders, a community.

Community, Island Quality of Life, Families and Neighborhoods, Public Advocacy. That is what RIRA and its Common Council has always been and should always be about. To return to its core mission, RIRA and its Common Council needs a leader who can bridge the gaps and differences that divide our community; who has a strong sense of professionalism and community pride and understands that it is the greater good of Roosevelt Island that matters the most; a President who, above all, understands that debate and compromise – not victimization and constant threat – is how the work of the Island community can be accomplished.

For the last six years, I have been deeply involved with the Common Council, first as a building representative of the Octagon to the Common Council, then as its Vice-President in 2012 and now as its current President. During that time, I also represented the interests of Roosevelt Island in the City at large, appointed by the Manhattan Borough President for the last five years to Manhattan Community Board 8 and serving as chair of both its Roosevelt Island-Cornell Technion Task Force and the Roosevelt Island Committee. In my varying capacities and representation of the Island, I have watched as our Island, which was once considered a floating village of small town life in the big City, grapple with the challenges of being a symbol and example of growth and change within the City. As our population grows, as our socio-economic makeup changes, as the original Islanders age and both new and young legacies take root on the Island, our Island, our community, our Island way of life is facing insurmountable challenges that will change the identity of the Island forever. The question we must all ask this coming election is who do we want leading us into this age of change?

In various ways, I have answered that call. Working closely with the Roosevelt Island Community Coalition, and in my capacities on Manhattan Community Board 8, I have helped steer the Island through the ULURP process as it sought to secure concessions from the stakeholders of the Project which would ensure successful integration of the Cornell community into the Island while benefitting all who live, work and visit our home. During my short terms as RIRA President, I have tirelessly continued to advocate and support Island programs and initiatives which seek to bring a sense of community and neighborhood between all on the Island from its northern tip to its southern tip; just this past term I have been charged with – and if elected President will convene – a Town Hall meeting and conference of the Community and the stakeholders of the Hudson Related project as it comes to grip with the impacts the construction of the remaining towers will have on the Island. With RIOC, we have worked to ensure that our access to greenspaces and community resources and infrastructure remain intact while construction of the Cornell campus and the three remaining towers of Southtown are built. In such a short time as the organization’s President, we have come such a long way and done so much, but we can do better – we can do more.

With your vote and my election to the Presidency, I will seek and support initiatives which will ensure that not only that our Island way of life is preserved, but Island futures of our children, our grandchildren and all of those who come to the Island so that they, too, will enjoy the same idyllic way of life that we have had the privilege of enjoying. This will include calling on the Common Council to spearhead initiatives which will seek to open greater and expansive educational opportunities and support for both our private and public schools on the Island, from preschool to elementary to middle school upward; focus on greater and improved management of the Island’s infrastructure and transportation systems, including the accommodation of alternative means of Island transportation from the Red Bus to bikes; revitalize the preservation of greenspace on the Island while focusing on environmental concerns which affect both the Island and our neighboring communities, especially as the 92nd Street transfer station completes its refurbishment and the question of whether or not we will be seeing continuous refuse and garbage barges floating up past our Island on the East River remains; provide education to Island residents as the housing stock changes on the Island and the WIRE buildings begin their efforts to exit the Mitchell-Lama program; answer the question of why so many of us residents leave the Island and what it takes to ensure that those who are on the Island stay. To successfully spearhead such initiatives and ensure that successful results come to fruition, RIRA, the Common Council and Roosevelt Island needs a President as its leader who is cognizant of the need to work with, not against, RIOC, the City and the State in finding meaningful long lasting solutions, and who understands the benefits of building coalitions with all of the stakeholders on the Island.

When my wife and I moved to this little ship floating in the East River almost nine years ago to become one of the original residents of the Octagon, there was no Cornell campus, there was no FDR memorial, the original tram was in place, and the Octagon was barely built. Back then, when we told others we lived on Roosevelt Island, we were met with questions of where that was and why we moved there. Today, when we tell people where we live, we are met with comments of admiration for the Island, its beautiful setting and its community. I have always been proud to call myself a Roosevelt Islander, and I hope in this coming term to make you proud as well to call our little ship in the East River your home. Please vote for me as your next RIRA Common Council President.

Here's the list of RIRA Common Council Candidates

running in the November 4 election.

Roosevelt Island Residents Association Election Controversy - Is RIRA Allowing Vice President Candidate To Run For Office In Violation Of RIRA Constitution?

The Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) can't seem to escape internal controversy, not even when it comes to running own election scheduled for Tuesday November 4 to select a new Common Council.

Here's the latest. RIRA Vice President Sherie Helstien served on the RIRA Election Committee as its Chairperson during the current election cycle until she resigned in an email dated October 25 saying she resigned at the close of the October 24 RIRA nomination deadline. Sometime before the October 24 nomination deadline, while still RIRA Election Committee Chair, Ms. Helstien submitted her nomination for RIRA Vice President in the 2014 election.

The controversy is that the RIRA Constitution prohibits a member serving on the RIRA Elections Committee from  running for RIRA Vice President.

According to RIRA Common Council member Frank Farance:

RIRA Election Scandal: Sherie Helstien is not permitted to run as RIRA VP candidate; serving in Election Committee prohibits President and VP candidates. Here's wording from the RIRA Constitution Article 5, Section 5, Election Committee:

"There shall be an Election Committee to administer all elections in accordance with the provisions of Article VII. The Election Committee shall include representatives from at least five election Districts. No candidate for President or Vice President may serve on the Election Committee. Candidates for the Common Council may serve on the Election Committee but may not participate in the elections for their own election Districts. No member of the Election Committee may participate in the election campaign of any candidate other than himself/herself or give support to any other candidate. The Common Council shall approve by Majority vote of the Council Members a Chair to the Elections Committee who will coordinate such activities."

Ms. Helstien was approved RIRA Election Committee Chair on June 4 (about 5 months ago) by the RIRA Common Council....

Mr. Farance continues:

... Simply, the RIRA Constitution's Election Committee prohibition on running for President and Vice President is broad: if you serve on the Election Committee, you can't run for those RIRA positions. Ms. Helstien has served as Election Committee Chair, thus she cannot run for those positions. She has been involved in the Election Committee almost 5 months, and now she resigns 10 days before an election so (in her mind) she can run for RIRA VP? I doubt the legal interpretation would support such a narrow interpretation, e.g., on the day of the election, if you're not on the election committee, you are free to run for President and Vice President....

I asked Ms. Helstien and other members of the RIRA Elections and Nominations Committees for comment.  To date, Ms. Helstien has not commented on the matter.

RIRA Nominations Chair Aaron Hamburger responded to my inquiry. According to Mr. Hamburger:

We had an unusual situation for the 2014 elections. I believe RIRA has never had an existing Vice President also be the Chair of the Election Committee. How did this come about? When the Common Council (CC) was ready to form the Election Committee, no one on the Common Council volunteered to take the job of Chair. Fortunately Sherie did accept the position and was voted in by the CC. Had Sherie not stepped forward, we would have had to cancel the 2014 elections because you can't have an election without an Election Committee to organize and run the election.

So, Sherie began to work on the election and, frankly, did a terrific job of getting the process and voting system organized. Late in the nomination period, Sherie decided to be a candidate for re-election as Vice-President, which was her right. She submitted her nomination form on the last day (Oct. 24) of the nomination period. She then resigned as Chair of the Election Committee. Other members on the Election Committee then took over for the last week before voting.

Every thing Sherie did was legal and proper in dealing with this unusual situation. Her goal was to make sure an important RIRA election could be held. None of the people now criticizing Sherie offered any real help in organizing and running the Nov. 4 election.

The CC needs to thank Sherie for the job she did before she resigned.

I asked Mr. Hamburger:

Just to be clear on your position.

Is it your position that the RIRA constitution does not prohibit a person serving on the RIRA Election Committee from running for RIRA Vice President during the same election cycle?

Or is it your position that the RIRA constitution does prohibit a person serving on the RIRA Election Committee from running for RIRA Vice President during the same election cycle but in the particular instance at this time of Sherie serving on the Election Committee there should be an exception and she should be allowed to run for RIRA Vice President.

If you think there should be an exception for Sherie in the current election, what is the reason for that exception?

Mr. Hamburger:

I thought my statement was very clear that everything Sherie did was legal and proper, even thought it was an unusual situation.

As far as the Constitution, it simply says a candidate for President or VP can't be on the Election Committee. Well for most of the time before the Election, Sherie was not a candidate for VP. She became a candidate on 10/24/14, when we received her nomination form, and therefore resigned from the Election Committee.

As I said, this was perfectly legal.

In my statement, I pointed out that we had an unusual situation in having the existing VP being elected by the Common Council to be Election Committee Chair. I also clearly pointed out why and how this came about. I'm surprised that you think you need further explanations from me.

My reply:

My understanding is that the RIRA constitution says that No candidate for RIRA Vice President may serve on the election committee.

Sherie served on the election committee. The RIRA Constitution precludes her from being a VP candidate. Why does it matter that she resigned after the nomination period closed?

Also, On October 16, Sherie sent me the Absentee Ballot flyer with her name on it as the contact person. Later that day she asked me not to post it and then sent me a second Absentee Ballot with your name as the contact person.

Why would she take her name off the Absentee Ballot on October 16, if she was not a candidate for VP? It appears she was or at least intended to be a candidate by October 16 and continued to serve on Elections Committee.

It appears that certain RIRA members are intentionally ignoring the RIRA Constitution on this matter in order to protect Sherie VP candidacy.

Mr. Hamburger:

I don't think you seem to understand. The Constitution says no Pres. or VP candidate may serve on the Election Committee. Sherie didn't become an official candidate until she submitted her nomination form. She may have told various people that she intended to run for re-election but that's doesn't count as being an actual candidate. She was a candidate on Oct. 24.

As I mentioned in my earlier statement, we had a very unusual situation this year. We've never had a VP who was elected by the Common Council to be Chair of the Election Committee. You also know why this came about. Any time after the CC election, Sherie could become a candidate. At that point, she'd have to resign from the election committee. This is exactly what happened. Unusual perhaps but perfectly legal.

Now no more arguments from you about this situation. You have enough from me.

My reply:

The RIRA Constitution provision prohibiting a person serving on the Elections Committee from running for President or Vice President is meaningless if a person is allowed to resign after the nomination period is closed and then run for Vice President during the same election cycle.

Mr. Hamburger:

I told you we had a very unusual situation this year. I doubt it will be repeated in the future. Nonetheless, Sherie resigned as required when she became an official candidate.

Perfectly legal. The constitution doesn't prohibit any one from running as Pres. or VP. It says a candidate can't be on the Election Committee. This provision didn't come into play until Sherie became a candidate. Period.

Let's stop this circle dialog. Let's just say you and I have a difference of opinion...

RIRA President Jeff Escobar added:

Ultimately, it should be up to, and will be up to, the voters -- RIRA's 'shareholders', using the 'corporation' parlance that some Common Council members seem to enjoy employing, who will decide on election day whether or not Sherie Helstien's recent discretions should rise to the level of her not being elected to the position of Vice-President. As with any election, whether it be to a position of public service or to an officer position within a corporation, the stakeholders will have a chance to decide whether or not one should or should not be elected based on their actions. I thank those members of the Common Council who have brought the issue to light, and have full faith that our community will make the right decision based on such information come election day.

Neither the Chair of the Nominations Committee or members of the Nomination Committee -- who are charged with ensuring that the candidacy of an individual is proper -- nor the Chair of the Constitution and By-Laws Committee or its committee members -- who have been charged with safeguarding the Constitution and By-laws, all of whom I deeply respect both professionally and personally and whom I have full confidence in their execution of their roles and responsibilities within the Common Council, have voiced concern or an objection as to the appropriateness of Ms. Helstien's Nomination for Vice-President.

Until then, and as it should be, it will be up to the voters to decide whether Ms. Helstien or another should serve as Vice-President in the upcoming term. We have a very contested race for which this issue, amongst many, will take center stage. It would be prudent for the candidates of Vice-President, as well as others in the Common Council who are facing their own very contested races -- to expend their time, energy and resources on concentrating on their own election efforts rather than on the minutiae of others.

UPDATE 9:05 PM 11/2 - According to Ms. Helstien:

This will be my only comment on Farance’s willfully false statements. He is, as usual, blowing blue smoke and mirrors at the Roosevelt Island community and blog readers. He enjoys sowing chaos and doubt. Those who encourage him work to the detriment not only of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association, (RIRA) but more sadly, to the detriment of this entire community.

Here is what the RIRA Constitutions says:

First: {Article IV, Officers; Section 2, VP; ¶ 1-2} “The Vice President shall supervise all RIRA elections. To perform the responsibilities of office, the Vice president shall supervise the Nominations Committee, the Elections Committee…”

Then: {Article V, Committees of the Common Council; Section 5, Election Committee} “No candidate for President or Vice President may serve on the Election Committee. Candidates for the Common Council may serve on the Election Committee but may not participate in the elections for their own election Districts.”

When nominated in May to the position of Election Committee Chair, I put off accepting the job to see if anyone else on the Common Council would step up. No one did. In June, I accepted the nomination because again, NO OTHER Common Council members offered to take this on. After 38 years, I couldn’t see how RIRA could NOT hold its required biennial election; that would end this essential Island organization. I reluctantly accepted the position and asked continuously for anyone who was interested in serving on this committee to please contact me. No one responded to my request, including Farance and Chirivas. I then chose Committee Members from the people I knew would be helpful and able to work collegially to get this extremely difficult and time-consuming job done. We held two “working group” meetings to work on changing the way RIRA held its elections per the request of RIRA’s President Escobar.

As with all the candidates, my candidacy was not official until the signed Nomination form was placed in the box and received by the Nominations Committee.

This is the fact: No one may run for RIRA President/VP while serving on the Election Committee.
This is the fact: As soon as my nomination form was placed in the lock box, I officially resigned from the Chairmanship and committee and thus, never served on the Committee while a candidate.
This is the fact: Official candidacy is determined by when the paperwork is actually filed in the nomination box.
This is the fact: There is nothing in the Constitution that says a Chair may not resign his or her position. This is the fact: I had no intention of, nor did I Chair or serve on the Committee while a candidate for Vice President.

Furthermore, it was decided internally, within the committee, for continuity and because of timing, with only a week and a-half before the election, and with no more RIRA meetings until the new Common Council would convene on Nov. 5, that two committee members would step up as co-Chairs and continue the work that needed to be done. As the current VP of the organization, I have been, per the Constitution as quoted above, acting in a supervisory position only to ensure timelines and goals are met. I have not been doing any committee work otherwise. Fortunately, the committee has acquired several “old hands” who have very kindly stepped in to cover what I was doing and to guide the rest of the process to its successful completion. You can be sure that when Farance has a chance, he’ll disparage these people too.

For Farance who often claims to always take the “high road” it should be noted that neither he nor anyone in his little band offered to run for this extremely strenuous, time consuming and difficult position either in May or in June, when they had a chance to offer themselves, nor did they step up as volunteers for the committee during the summer, or in the September meeting of the Common Council. They never offered to work for or support the work of their Election Committee colleagues when they were invited to do so.
Further, speaking with Aaron Hamburger, Chair of the Nominations Committee, it is clear Farance falsely claims membership on the Nominations Committee. Remember, decisions are made by the people who show up.

Farance claims that I have no right to run for the office of VP, but that is patently untrue. The RIRA Constitution sometimes lacks clarity in several sections of the document often leaving various issues up to interpretation. In this case, Farance is on the wrong side of this argument. And because of this, he makes idle threats of reporting us/me to the AG’s office. Really? Really??

Make of Farance’s misinformation and obfuscations what you will.

RIRA will have its election on November 4 and you, the community, have a very able and committed group from this Common Council to offer great thanks to for their very hard and impeccable work. I certainly hope we see you at the polls, in support of this community election.

Good luck to all the candidates.

Report From RIRA President Jeff Escobar - Condolences To Family Of Roosevelt Island Bike Rider Anna Maria Mostrom, Bike/Car/Pedestrian Safety Initiative, RIRA Elections & Candidate Nights

 Image Of October 8 Red Bus Collision With Bike Rider Anna Maria Mostrom From Kevin Deutsch Tweet

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) President Jeff Escobar sends the following Report To The Community:

On Saturday, October 18th, a memorial service was held at The Swedish Church on East 48th Street for our beloved Octagon neighbor and fellow Islander Anna-Marie Mostrom. As many of you know, Anna-Marie had been in a tragic accident with one of our Red Buses and, in a blink of an eye, her life that was a light to so many was put out. Our prayers and thoughts are with her family as they struggle to make sense of this tragedy. Sadly, it is times like these which cause all of us to take pause on our crazy and busy lives to sit back and take stock in all that we have, the family members we love, and the community that surrounds us. It is also unfortunately tragic events like these which cause us to reflect inward and ask what we could have done differently individually, as neighbors, as a community to have prevented what happened.

As the popularity and necessity for bike transportation grows, as does the size of our community, RIRA will be taking a closer look at how accidents which led to Anna-Marie’s death, as well as other bike and pedestrian deaths and injuries, can be prevented. Just as The City has enacted the Vision Zero initiative which is aimed at preventing pedestrian-motorist accidents, I will be asking the new RIRA Common Council to undertake a similar initiative under the new term working with local community and bike advocacy groups in finding a way to stop such accidents from happening on our little Island again. Both motorists, cyclers, and pedestrians, from young to old alike, should feel safe and confident that walking, riding and motoring on our street will never result in injury or an accident; and the only way that can happen is if we come together as a community to find a mutually agreeable way that we can all share and enjoy the road together.

As stated above, it will be the new RIRA Common Council who will be charged with this new initiative, and it will be up to you as a member of RIRA – of which each and every one of us becomes when we become a resident of this Island – to decide who will be part of the new Common Council. As we have stated in this column and elsewhere before, the election for who will be representing your interests in the Common Council is coming fast upon us. On Tuesday, November 4th, each of you will have a chance to directly elect who will sit on the Common Council and undertake such initiatives as that above, as well as so many more that directly impact our lives as Island residents.

But, who are these Candidates? I am happy to announce that nearly a full slate of candidates for nearly all of the buildings have placed themselves on this year’s ballot, and you will have an opportunity to directly meet and question each of your neighbors who chose to run for a seat on the Common Council and represent your building in the coming week in a Town Hall setting. This is a rare opportunity to not only participate in a direct election and to see the democratic process in action, but to directly pose the difficult questions which afflict our community to the candidates. I encourage each and every one of you to attend your building’s respective Meet the Candidates event as set forth below, and to not hold anything back as you search for who you wish to represent you in this coming term on the Common Council:

Rivercross, Island House and Westview Candidates Night – Tuesday,October 28th at 8PM in the Westview Community Room located at 625 Main Street.

Manhattan Park & 2/4 River Road Candidates Night – Tuesday, October 28th at 8PM in the Manhattan Park Community Room located at 4 River Road.

Southtown Candidates Night – Thursday, October 30th at 8PM in the Party Room located at 455 Main Street.

Roosevelt Landings Candidates Night – Thursday, October 30th at 8PM in the Westview Lower Community Room (625 Main Street)

Octagon Candidates Night – Thursday, October 30th at 8PM in the Lobby Art Gallery located at 888 Main Street.

I also encourage all of you to attend the President and Vice-President Candidates Night for the those vying for the chance to lead the new Common Council on Wednesday, October 29th at 8PM at the Westview Lower Community Room (625 Main Street) located at the middle of the Island.

As I have always said, the choice to run and to become part of the Common Council is the ultimate in community service, and to each of the candidates who have put themselves out there, the best of luck. If the slate of candidates is any indication, the next administration and Common Council looks to be a promising one who faces a challenging term ahead. I have every confidence, however, that whomever is given the honor of representing our community will undoubtedly be successful.

Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) 2014 Common Council Candidates, Meet Them At Your Buildings Candidate Night This Week - Is RIRA Vice President Eligible To Run Again?

The Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Common Council election will take place Tuesday November 4. According to RIRA:

The purposes of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) are: 1) to represent the interests of its members to all governmental, quasi-governmental and private institutions that develop policy affecting Roosevelt Island and its residents; that supervise or manage our housing and that supervise or manage other Island operations; and 2) to ensure that the health, safety and welfare of its members and the quality of life in our community are maintained and improved....

All Roosevelt Island residents, whether US citizens or not, 18 years and older are eligible to vote for RIRA President and Vice President as well as for Common Council members for the buildings in which they live.

The candidates running for the 2014 RIRA Common Council are listed below.

Rivercross, Westview, and Island House have more candidates running for the Common Council than slots allocated for their buildings so there will be a competitive race for these seats. Southtown, Manhattan Park, Roosevelt Landings and the Octagon all have less candidates than seats allocated so all the nominated candidates will become members of the next RIRA Common Council.

Come meet your buildings RIRA Candidates this week as shown in schedule below. (UPDATE TO CANDIDATES NIGHT SCHEDULE - Wednesday Night, October 29th's President/VP Candidate event has been moved to the Westview Lower Community room at 625 Main St. at 8pm - NOT at the Chapel of the Good Shepherd. Thursday Night's Roosevelt Landings Candidates Night will be at Westview Lower Community room 625 Main Street at 8pm.)

Current RIRA President Jeff Escobar is running unopposed for President. Mr. Escobar has been an excellent RIRA President.

Current RIRA Vice President Sherie Helstien is running against 3 other candidate - Sharon Pope, Helen Chirivas and M. Pathak.

An issue has been raised whether Ms Helstien is eligible to run as a candidate for RIRA Vice President. Ms Helstien was the RIRA Election Committee Chair until October 25, the day after RIRA nominations period ended, when she sent an email to some RIRA Common Council members announcing her resignation as Election Committee Chair. According to Frank Farance:

Sherie Helstien is not permitted to run as RIRA VP candidate; serving in Election Committee prohibits President and VP candidates. Here's wording from the RIRA Constitution Article 5, Section

5, Election Committee:
"There shall be an Election Committee to administer all elections in accordance with the provisions of Article VII. The Election Committee shall include representatives from at least five election Districts. No candidate for President or Vice President may serve on the Election Committee. Candidates for the Common Council may serve on the Election Committee but may not participate in the elections for their own election Districts. No member of the Election Committee may participate in the election campaign of any candidate other than himself/herself or give support to any other candidate. The Common Council shall approve by Majority vote of the Council Members a Chair to the Elections Committee who will coordinate such activities."

I've asked Ms. Helstien and other RIRA members for comment on this matter. Will update when more information available.

UPDATE 8:40 PM - RIRA President Jeff Escobar comments on Ms. Helstien candidacy for RIRA Vice President:

Ultimately, it should be up to, and will be up to, the voters -- RIRA's 'shareholders', using the 'corporation' parlance that some Common Council members seem to enjoy employing, who will decide on election day whether or not Sherie Helstien's recent discretions should rise to the level of her not being elected to the position of Vice-President. As with any election, whether it be to a position of public service or to an officer position within a corporation, the stakeholders will have a chance to decide whether or not one should or should not be elected based on their actions. I thank those members of the Common Council who have brought the issue to light, and have full faith that our community will make the right decision based on such information come election day.

Neither the Chair of the Nominations Committee or members of the Nomination Committee -- who are charged with ensuring that the candidacy of an individual is proper -- nor the Chair of the Constitution and By-Laws Committee or its committee members -- who have been charged with safeguarding the Constitution and By-laws, all of whom I deeply respect both professionally and personally and whom I have full confidence in their execution of their roles and responsibilities within the Common Council, have voiced concern or an objection as to the appropriateness of Ms. Helstien's Nomination for Vice-President.

Until then, and as it should be, it will be up to the voters to decide whether Ms. Helstien or another should serve as Vice-President in the upcoming term. We have a very contested race for which this issue, amongst many, will take center stage. It would be prudent for the candidates of Vice-President, as well as others in the Common Council who are facing their own very contested races -- to expend their time, energy and resources on concentrating on their own election efforts rather than on the minutiae of others.

You can also vote in the RIRA elections by absentee ballot. Here's how.

Help Serve The Roosevelt Island Community By Running For the Roosevelt Island Residents Association Common Council - Application Deadline October 24 To Run For RIRA CC

There's still time, until October 24, for Roosevelt Island residents seeking to serve our community to submit applications as candidates for the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Common Council. According to RIRA:

The purposes of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) are: 1) to represent the interests of its members to all governmental, quasi-governmental and private institutions that develop policy affecting Roosevelt Island and its residents; that supervise or manage our housing and that supervise or manage other Island operations; and 2) to ensure that the health, safety and welfare of its members and the quality of life in our community are maintained and improved.

Over the years, RIRA has represented the residents of Roosevelt Island in negotiations with the State of New York and other official entities. It is recognized as the official representative of Island residents....

RIRA President Jeff Escobar reported in his September 29 Report:

... nominations for a position on the RIRA Common Council and/or as an Executive Officer will open on Wednesday, October 1, and close on October 24 at 9 p.m. Nomination forms can be obtained by email from Nominations Committee Chair Aaron Hamburger (ashamburger33@gmail.com), or in hard copy at either our Public Library or at Public Safety (where there will also be a lock box to drop off your completed forms). As we have been saying in this column, running for an office to represent either your building or RIRA itself is the ultimate form of community service. If you are interested in running and/or have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Aaron at ashamburger33@gmail.com or 212-758-2623.

You can help make a difference and contribute to our Roosevelt Island community by joining the RIRA Common Council. If you are interested in running for the RIRA Common Council to represent your building, please contact Aaron Hamburger for more information.

Last Roosevelt Island Residents Association Common Council Meeting Of Current Term Tonight - Are You Interested In Serving Community By Running For RIRA Common Council Member For Next Term Starting In November?

Image Of March 2014 RIRA Meeting

The Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA) Common Council will be meeting this evening at 8:00 PM in the Good Shepherd Community Center (543 Main Street).

As always, prior to the start of each monthly meeting there is a public session in which residents can come and address the Common Council Delegates on any issue of concern.

All residents are encouraged to attend RIRA meetings.

Tonight's Common Council meeting will be the last of this term. A new RIRA Common Council will be elected and seated for the November 2014 meeting.

RIRA President Jeff Escobar invites residents to attend the Common Council meeting and to consider running for the next RIRA Term:

... nominations for a position on the RIRA Common Council and/or as an Executive Officer will open on Wednesday, October 1, and close on October 24 at 9 p.m. Nomination forms can be obtained by email from Nominations Committee Chair Aaron Hamburger (ashamburger33@gmail.com), or in hard copy at either our Public Library or at Public Safety (where there will also be a lock box to drop off your completed forms). As we have been saying in this column, running for an office to represent either your building or RIRA itself is the ultimate form of community service. If you are interested in running and/or have any questions or concerns, please reach out to Aaron at ashamburger33@gmail.com or 212-758-2623. And come to our October 1 Common Council meeting at 8:00 p.m. at the Good Shepherd Center to see the body in action.

Here's RIRA Common Council Candidate Nomination Election Flyer.

Perhaps you can help stop RIRA's dysfunction and make a positive impact on the Roosevelt Island community. Consider running for RIRA Common Council.

UPDATE 5:50 PM - Here's the Agenda for tonight's RIRA Meeting:

Date: Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Time & Place: 8:00 pm, Church of Good Shepard

1. Public Session

2. Roll Call of Common Council Members

3. Adoption of Agenda

4. Adoption of the Minutes
a. Adoption of September 2014 Council Meeting Minutes
b. Adoption of February 2014 Council Meeting Minutes
c. Adoption of January 2014 Council Meeting Minutes

5. President’s Report

6. Treasurer’s Report

7. Island Services Committee Report

8. Nomination Committee Report
a. Motion to Expense Up to $300 for Nomination Materials

9. Old Business
a. Government Relations Committee Report (as laid over from September 2014 Common Council Meeting)
b. Resolution for Joint RIRA Letter by RIRA President, Housing Committee Chair, Planning Committee Chair and Island Services Committee Chair to Hudson Related Request a Town Hall Meeting (as withdrawn from September 2014 Common Council Meeting and resubmitted for consideration)

10. New Business
a. Committee Reports and Resolutions Submitted after deadline of 5PM the Friday preceding present Common Council Session

i. Communications Committee Report

1. Resolution to (y) Re-institute Email
Communications by Groups and (z) Permit Common Council Member Distribution of Informative and Promotion Communications

ii. Elections Committee Report
1. Motion to Seek Resolution of Method of Voting and Expenditure of Funds for RIRA 2014-2016 Term of Elections
b. Resolution to Seek Alternate Storage Space for Non-Archival Corporation Records and Materials