Governor’s Veto Is Not the End for RIOC Reform
August 31, 2010
In June, I reported that my legislation to reform the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) had passed the Assembly. I am incredibly disappointed that Governor Paterson has now vetoed this legislation — and I vehemently disagree with the reasons he has given for his veto. By passing the reform bill with overwhelming margins, the legislature clearly communicated its intent that RIOC should be more open and accessible, and that Island residents should have a greater say in the Island’s decision-making process. RIOC’s decisions have a vastly bigger impact on Island residents than on anyone else, and the needs of those who live on the Island should outweigh the abstract concerns expressed by the Governor in his veto message.
By rejecting these common-sense measures, the Governor has set back the cause of open government and public authorities reform. Nonetheless, I will not stop fighting to open up RIOC and make it more accountable to the Island residents it serves. I will bring these reforms back as many times as it takes to make them a reality.
A copy of the Governor’s veto message is below.
Governor’s Veto of RIOC Reform Bill
Kellner RIOC Reform Bill Passes Assembly
June 29, 2010
The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) is responsible for decisions that have a huge impact on the lives of Roosevelt Island residents — from housing to transportation, parks, sanitation, and more. Islanders know that the Island only works when RIOC is accountable and responsive to the community. This is why I introduced legislation to reform RIOC, opening it up to greater community input. I’m pleased to announce that my RIOC reform bill passed the Assembly today.
This bill means that Islanders will have a greater role in the governing process—it opens up the corporation to the public and establishes the principle that Island residents must have a say in how the Island is run.
The legislation gives the public a role in the process of hiring the RIOC President — requiring the Board of Directors to consider at least three candidates for the job and to hold hearings allowing members of the public as well as Board members to interview the candidates. It requires that meetings of the Board of Directors be subject to the state’s open meetings law, and specifies that members of the public must have an opportunity to comment on all agenda items before the Board votes on those items.
The bill also provides that two of the public members of RIOC’s Board of Directors will be chosen upon the recommendation of the Speaker of the Assembly and the Temporary President of the State Senate—who will make their suggestions based on consultation with the local member of the Assembly and the Senate, ensuring input for the elected officials who are most answerable to Roosevelt Island residents.
The bill’s passage is a victory for Roosevelt Islanders — a clear affirmation of residents’ right to be part of the Island’s decision making process.
A Victory for Students: Gifted & Talented Program at PS/IS 217 Is Saved
June 23, 2010
I am pleased to announce that we will continue to have a gifted and talented (G&T) program at PS/IS 217 on Roosevelt Island next year. After the Department of Education announced that there would be no incoming G&T kindergarten class at the school next year, I along with Council Member Jessica Lappin worked with parents to save the program. Now that next year’s kindergarten class has been secured, we will seek to expand the program to make it citywide — bringing some of New York City’s brightest students to Roosevelt Island and securing the Island’s gifted and talented program for the long term.
Below is a joint statement from myself and Council Member Lappin about this exciting news:
“It is with great joy that we are able to announce that the Roosevelt Island gifted and talented program has been saved. Two weeks ago, the Department of Education unilaterally announced that the program would not be accepting a class of kindergarteners for next year. This was the wrong decision and our offices immediately began working with parents and school officials to make it right. At a meeting with us and parents on June 11, the DOE committed to maintaining the program if at least 18 students could be found who were interested in attending. Our offices worked with parents from Manhattan, Queens, and Roosevelt Island to spread the word and recruit families for this program.
“We are pleased to say that as of today, there are 18 students enrolled in the program. There will definitely by a new G&T kindergarten class on Roosevelt Island next fall.
“This is a huge victory for parents who worked so hard and who refused to take no for an answer. More than that, this is a victory for the families who will now have a first-rate gifted and talented program for their children this fall.
“We’d especially like to commend PTA President Nikki Leopold, Principal Mandana Beckman, and Elizabeth Rose of the DOE for their efforts to preserve the G&T program on Roosevelt Island. This is excellent news and we look forward to continuing to watch the G&T program on the Island grow and thrive in the years to come.”
Celebrating Roosevelt Island Day 2010
June 21, 2010
Assembly Member Kellner with Eagle Scouts, Masons, and NY Life representative Carol Tanjutco, in front of the Child ID booth, Roosevelt Island Day 2010.
Roosevelt Island Day is one of my favorite summer events — it’s great to spend time with so many members of the Island community, enjoying the wonderful weather, the games, and the festive atmosphere.
I was happy to be part of this year’s celebration, and pleased to be able to sponsor a free Child ID service in conjunction with New York Life, the Masons, and the Eagle Scouts–offering parents the opportunity to obtain a record of their children’s identifying information which can be used in the event that a child becomes lost or missing.
It was a pleasure seeing so many of my Roosevelt Island friends on Saturday, and I look forward to another year of working with Island residents.
A Victory for Tenants: Kellner Submetering Bill Passes Assembly
June 10, 2010
When the management at the Eastwood housing complex on Roosevelt Island attempted to impose a potentially disastrous plan to directly charge tenants for their electricity use — a practice called submetering, which would have resulted in a massive de facto rent increase — I successfully worked with the building’s tenants to stop the scheme in its tracks. But the victory at Eastwood demonstrated the need to enshrine strong tenant protections into law, to ensure that residents of Eastwood and buildings across the state are never faced with this threat again.
The submetering plan at Eastwood presented a host of problems for tenants. The building’s poor insulation and clunky electric heat would have meant that under submetering, tenants would be paying enormous electric bills just to keep warm in the winter. And the electric charges would be deemed as rent in tenant’s leases–meaning that tenants could be taken to housing court and potentially evicted for nonpayment of their electric bills. Tenants faced the prospect of having to choose between paying the rent and heating their homes.
I am proud to report that, yesterday, the Assembly passed a critical tenant protection bill which I introduced in response to this threat. The bill (A. 7353-A) prohibits landlords from deeming electrical charges as rent. This legislation means that tenants will no longer be faced with the possibility of eviction in the event that they are unable to pay their electric bill. It will also help guarantee that tenants are able to exercise their rights as energy consumers, and if necessary, get assistance in paying their bills.
I will continue working to ensure that all the necessary protections are put into place to eliminate the threat of electrical submetering once and for all.
A Grand Opening for Roosevelt Island Bank Customers
October 2, 2009
Assembly Member Kellner with Amalgamated CEO Derrick Cephas and Branch Manager Kathy Lasri, cutting the ribbon to open the bank’s new Roosevelt Island branch.
On October 1st, I was proud to join Amalgamated Bank President and CEO Derrick Cephas, as well as Borough President Scott Stringer and a number of other distinguished guests, to mark the grand opening of Amalgamated’s new branch on Roosevelt Island. The opening marks the beginning of a new era of community banking for island residents — a secure replacement for the New York National Bank branch that closed this summer.
In July, I posted about how I worked with Assembly Banking Committee Chair Darryl Towns to ensure that the State Banking Department designated the island’s new Amalgamated branch as a Banking Development District (BDD) branch. This means that $10 million in public funds have been deposited with the new branch, providing the security it needs to serve as a reliable long-term bank for Roosevelt Islanders. Thanks to the BDD designation, as well as support from State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, City Comptroller William C. Thompson, Jr., the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, and other stakeholders, island residents will continue to have a convenient location to do their banking for many years to come.
I am pleased to have been able to help make the new branch a reality, and I would like to extend a warm welcome to branch manager Kathy Lasri and her team as they become part of the Roosevelt Island Community.
A Landmark Victory for Eastwood Tenants on Submetering
September 18, 2009
Yesterday, the New York State Public Service Commission issued a landmark decision on electrical submetering in residential buildings - delivering a big victory to tenants at Roosevelt Landings and elsewhere. (See today’s New York Daily News article, “Mitchell-Lama Housing Tenants Win Out in Dispute Over Electric Bills.”) The Commission’s order, which came in response to my petition to overturn submetering at Roosevelt Landings, ordered a permanent halt to submetering at that building and several others, until and unless the landlords consult with tenants and develop a new submetering plan with substantial tenant protections.
I cannot thank PSC Chairman Brown and the Commissioners and staff of the Public Service Commission enough for their groundbreaking decision to permanently stay the submetering orders for Roosevelt Landings, Frawley Plaza, Metro North, and the Alpacas I&II. The full order is linked here from the Public Service Commission website.
Initially, when I challenged the PSC’s approval of submetering at Roosevelt Landings, the PSC issued a temporary stay. Now that the Commission has made that stay permanent, tenants can rest assured that they will not be subjected to any submetering scheme without their full consultation and basic tenant protections to ensure they are not unduly burdened.
The PSC’s decision promises a brighter future that doesn’t pit tenant rights against environmental goals—it proves that we can do both. The protections won are meaningful acknowledgments of what has been a deeply flawed process from a tenants’ rights perspective—and while more needs to be done, there is no question that we are moving in the right direction.
The Commission’s order addresses the need for tenants to be protected from illegal eviction proceedings that are too often brought over unpaid utility bills. It also acknowledges that asking tenants to use energy more efficiently means requiring landlords to give tenants the tools that make this possible, such as installing thermostats in electrically-heated buildings.
While I am pleased with the victories won yesterday, more work needs to be done to ensure that tenants are treated fairly. Some of the requirements do not go far enough—for instance, I do not believe that submetering should ever be allowed in the minority of buildings left in New York City that use electric heat. At a minimum, I will continue to push for the metering of electric heating to be separated out from other electrical uses.
Also, while this order relates to four specific buildings—creating tremendous precedent for future cases—the reality is that these basic tenant protections should be clearly written into law so that all New Yorkers share the same rights and are governed by the same rules.
An Opening for Artists with Disabilities
August 21, 2009
Assembly Member Kellner with artist, Octavia Lanford.
On a beautiful August Thursday, I had the honor of serving as Master of Ceremonies at a ground-breaking art opening at the Roosevelt Island Visual Art Association Gallery (RIVAA), as over 80 stunning works of art created by artists with cerebral palsy went on display. The dozens of artists were joined by family members, friends, and supporters. As someone with cerebral palsy myself, this was an especially proud occasion for me.
I am proud to have helped make this exhibition a reality. For the last year, thanks to the Cerebral Palsy Associations of New York State, I have been privileged to display in my office works by three of the artists who are now represented at RIVAA (as I reported in a post last August). Earlier this year, I suggested that the RIVAA Gallery would be the ideal place to stage a broader exhibition featuring pieces by artists with disabilities. Roosevelt Island is a community designed to be inclusive of people with disabilities, and RIVAA is one of the island’s prime cultural treasures — so the show and the location were a natural fit.
Cerebral Palsy Associations of New York State Metro Services, United Cerebral Palsy of New York City, and Queens Centers for Progress worked together to produce the exhibition, which features a diverse and colorful collection of paintings, photographs, and sculptures on subjects including nature, life in New York City, and the artists themselves.
Thanks are due to CP of NYS, UCP, and QCP, as well as to RIVAA, for bringing us this wonderful show. The exhibition runs until September 7, and I strongly encourage you to stop by and check it out, whether or not you live on Roosevelt Island. The gallery is at 527 Main Street.
Below, is a poster produced by CP of NYS that is a collage of images from the opening night.
We Need an Audit of Roosevelt Island’s Public Safety Department
July 24, 2009
Last night, the Roosevelt Island Residents Association hosted a town hall meeting to discuss community concerns about the island’s Public Safety Department (PSD). The event confirmed to me the importance of developing an independent, transparent, and objective process for reviewing PSD’s effectiveness, and for processing civilian complaints about the Department.
I am working on legislation to create a version of New York City’s Civilian Complaint Review Board that will cover security forces like PSD, so that Roosevelt Islanders have the same rights as any other residents of New York when it comes to oversight of local policing.
In the meantime, I have asked New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, whose office has a sterling reputation for conducting performance audits of local governments, public authorities, and other government agencies, to conduct an audit. Roosevelt Islanders have a right to know that PSD is being held to the highest standards of accountability.
A copy of my letter is below.
7.24.09 PSD Letter to Dinapoli Final
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My community office is here to help you.
315 East 65 Street
New York, NY 10065
Tel 212-860-4906
Fax 917-432-2983
Email KellnerM@assembly.state.ny.us
