Opinion

R.I. Huckasanders RIOCsplains the Cat Sanctuary Water Crisis

Faced with thousands of petition signatures and email complaints, the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation shows all the depth and wisdom of a pack of squirrels in mating season. Perhaps that's unfair to the squirrels, which when overwhelmed with hormones still maintain their amazing dexterity. RIOC's got the flexibility of a tree sloth.

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Racism, Raw Obscenity Get A Pass On Roosevelt Island

"We're on it," declared RIOC President/CEO last month when we asked her about the obscenity and racism laden graffiti bruising The Prow, an art installation jutting into the East River along the West Promenade, south of The Octagon. Apparently, being "on it" did not mean doing anything about it.

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Cuomo/Rosenthal's RIOC Pummels Roosevelt Island - Where Are Our Electeds?

Opinion: Cuomo Thumbs His Nose At Roosevelt Island, Installs Unqualified RIOC Leader was our headline in October, 2016. I was wrong. No, not about Cuomo. Of course he was thumbing his nose at us, as he had before and has since. Yet Susan Rosenthal may be qualified, just not for the job we expect of her. Instead, she executes the Governor's anti-democratic bidding on Roosevelt Island. But that begs the question: where are Kallos, Seawright and Serrano, the people we elected to help and protect us?

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At Westview, Affordability Tips Toward Failure - Who's To Blame?

Yes, the pending failure of the Westview affordability exit plan represents another piece of Roosevelt Island's community reduced to rubble along the trail of Susan Rosenthal's RIOC leadership, but does the primary blame really fall on her, this time? Maybe not, and in an immediate sense, certainly not. The proximate bad guys are enough to make abused residents sick.

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RIOC Refuses To Answer Questions About Contaminating Our Water Supply

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation set off alarms on Friday, releasing a statement that their practices in irrigating Southpoint contaminate the Southpoint water supply, making it unfit for drinking. The statement was more disturbing in light of their recent threat to charge the WFF Cat Sanctuary for using the same water.

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I've always liked Carolyn Maloney, but...

It's 1992. Newcomers to Roosevelt Island and New York City, my wife and I climb on board one of RIOC's fleet of creaky shuttle buses, loaded down with groceries. We're on our way to our new home in Manhattan Park, Roosevelt Island's newest complex. A woman whose appearance contrasts with the not so well-kept vehicle leans forward from the back as if she's been waiting for us. It's Carolyn Maloney. We've never met her before. She wants our vote.

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Vote! Because when you don't, you might get Trump

The affect of not voting has never been fully analyzed because, it's assumed, non-voters - nearly half the population - have preferences similar to voters. But that shaky argument's getting shakier. Research shows it's untrue and may have decided the last presidential election.

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Did RIOC renege on Westview, throwing affordability into jeopardy?

With transparency at RIOC sharing qualities similar to those of a double-brick wall, it's difficult to tell if it's  incompetence, political posturing, real estate profiteering or something else to blame. What we do know is that RIOC, without public explanation and behind closed doors, trash-canned a deal agreed on after more than a year in negotiation. Time's now running out for preserving a last chance at affordability.

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