Matt Katz Running for Return to RIRA Presidency

Matthew Katz, former two-term president of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA), announced Wednesday night that he’s running for a new term in November’s election. Katz made the announcement at the RIRA Common Council meeting, to applause from Common Council members.

 

A Westview resident, Katz served from late 1998 to late 2004. He declined to run in 2004, saying he needed time to "recharge my batteries." Steve Marcus won the post in November of 2004 and will serve through this November’s election.

"I’m putting my hat in the ring," Katz said. "I’m running for RIRA President again this Fall. You should know that I attribute this to one thing and one thing alone – incipient Alzheimer’s disease. Seriously, I think there are some things we can get done. We’ve had a difficult time over the last few years. During my predecessor’s term of office there was the Southtown suit. In Steve’s term of office there was the Octagon suit. While these were losing efforts, there was a clear line in the sand that this community is determined to maintain the General Development Plan. Very important to do. Never think that this was a lost cause, because the will of the community was established then.

Katz noted some specific efforts undertaken during his previous two terms in the job, mentioning meetings he brokered meetings between then City Councilmember Gifford Miller and the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC), through which the Tram was eventually brought into the MetroCard system. He noted that he also persuaded the City Department of Transportation to move up rehabilitation work on the Roosevelt Island Bridge by four years.

"RIRA is an important organization on this Island," Katz said to Common Council members. "One of the hardest things the Common Council ever had to do was to reform itself by creating a constitution and bylaws, to make this exclusively an elected organization, so that the people sitting around this [Council] table right now have all been elected to represent their constituent bodies on this Island. [It was] incredibly difficult to accomplish, and yet, it’s been done. This organization has one thing going for it and one thing alone – that it is the elected voice of the Island."

Katz noted that although the Common Council is not part of government, has no power and little money, "what you have is the understanding by the politicians that you are the voice of this community. That’s incredibly important."

He continued, "For the first time in 12 years, we actually have a shot at being heard in Albany. Many of you were at the meeting with Eliot Spitzer a few weeks ago. He’s addressed some of our problems, made it clear that he was up to date on some of our issues, and needed further education on others. We have a foot in the door. We will actually have a Governor who knows how to get here without a compass. For the 17 years... I have lived on this Island, George Pataki has never set foot here. Now we’ve got somebody who can actually make it here on the F train. This is an opportunity."

Katz paid tribute to current RIRA President Steve Katz, and Vice President Margie Smith, pointing out that both have held the top RIRA jobs while also working full-time, while he and his predecessor were retired. "I don’t know how they did it," Katz said.

He mentioned Southpoint Park as a particular item of concern for him: "I’ve been involved in the development of Southpoint Park for the last six years or so. I am determined that this be developed as a park and nothing but a park. It has been promised to us by every conceivable authority, over and over again, and the RFIP [Request for Initial Proposals] that we have been told exists, but has not been explained to us, is going to a sword of Damocles over our heads until we understand what it involves and if it, in fact, involves residential housing on an Island where the current transportation infrastructure cannot handle the people here already, we are going to have do a concerted effort to make that go away."

Even while anticipating that possible fight, Katz spoke optimistically of opportunities ahead in urging current Common Council members to run for re-election. "It seems to me that all the major fights are behind us now, and we now have an opportunity to be more proactive, to take on the kinds of things we want to do in this community, and so I am urging you, please, run for office again. You guys now have the expertise, the experience, to know what the job entails, to know what you might want to do over the next two years."

He also asked for help in recruiting new blood to RIRA. "Please urge your neighbors that this is their opportunity to make a difference. These elections are incredibly important. Please run with me. Let’s make this a terrific Common Council."

Nomination forms for RIRA offices are available at various points on the Island, including most residential buildings.