PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by James Starace on Roosevelt Island Governance
2:45:38
·
105 sec
James Starace, a resident of Roosevelt Island for 14 years, testified in support of allowing residents to elect members of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC) board. He emphasized the frustration of not being able to elect board members who are knowledgeable about local issues and represent the community's interests.
- Starace agreed with previous testimony by Amanda Brown on this issue.
- He highlighted various community issues that elected board members could address, including sports fields, clean streets, and tram issues.
- Starace stressed that allowing residents to elect board members would make working together easier and more pleasant for the community.
James Starace
2:45:38
Yes.
2:45:38
Thank you very much for hearing us on this issue.
2:45:42
I absolutely concur with what Amanda Brown had stated earlier.
2:45:47
And, you know, as a person my family, we're raising children on the island.
2:45:52
Now we've been here for 14 years.
2:45:54
We do love living here.
2:45:55
It's a wonderful and unique neighborhood.
2:45:58
The only real drawback with having board members from the island not a drawback.
2:46:06
It's wonderful.
2:46:06
It's just the drawback that we can't elect them ourselves, and they get appointed by the head of Riyadh and by the governor.
2:46:14
And so if we were given the opportunity to have those members elected, we ourselves would know which members of the community are up to date and really locked and keyed in with the issues that we are being affected by, and they could run the gamut from issues on sports field, issues on on on clean streets, on tram issues, you know, could be like any other community issues.
2:46:42
And I think it's very frustrating that the neighborhood has repeatedly asked and wishes for the right to elect those members to the board based on what the community members themselves who live here would like to run on and represent our neighborhood and community those policies and those issues they wish to bring to the Riyadh board.
2:47:07
And I think it's very simple, and I will also be very short with my testimony.
2:47:14
But I think it's clear, and I think it would fit the whole community and actually make working together much easier and much more pleasant.
2:47:22
Thank you.
