Editorial
Katz and Spitzer

The WIRE endorses Matthew Katz in his quest for a third term as President of the Roosevelt Island Residents Association (RIRA).

Katz took a breather for two years after serving two very successful terms from 2000 to 2004. Taking nothing away from his successor, Steve Marcus, Katz’s four years constituted strong, active service to Roosevelt Island and its residents by RIRA and the members of its Common Council. Katz himself is the first to pass out credit for RIRA’s accomplishments during that period, as he did Wednesday night in a Candidate’s Forum in the Good Shepherd Community Center.

Two of Katz’s challengers failed to show Wednesday night. Jim Whalen did show and managed to amuse both his opponent and other candidates – a little, anyway – with his improbable didactics and general contrarianism. But voters should not distract Jim from his chosen role as the (honorary?) President and sole sentient member of the Irish Catholic Existential Society. Fortunately, Jim is running for a Common Council seat to represent his building, so the RIRA Common Council will not be left without his occasional outbursts urging the meetings onward.

Whatever Jim Whalen’s merits, Katz is the RIRA President we want to lead the residents’ organization into the Spitzer era.

The WIRE endorses Eliot Spitzer, too, for what that’s worth. The Island, which generally votes Democratic, has little power to increase the magnitude of Spitzer’s November 7 win. But we might hope that his numbers will approach the 89% that City Councilmember Jessica Lappin scored with Roosevelt Island voters.

Someone – and we think Katz is the one to do it – must push the new Albany administration along in the process of choosing a new path for our Island. The WIRE endorses the very democratic idea of a RIOC Board consisting mostly of residents elected by residents. But even before that can be achieved, the Spitzer administration will need a united, clear voice from the Island’s residents, pointing it away from the Pataki-style use of Roosevelt Island’s jobs and resources as a cookie jar from which to reward campaign contributors and old friends.

With Matthew Katz at the helm, we can be confident of the clarity and reason of that voice.

 

Referendums: Yes 6 Times

In terms of reason and clarity, and in the interests of a united voice, The WIRE urges a yes choice on all the referendum questions RIRA has placed before voters.

The substance of the matters behind these questions is discussed elsewhere in these pages. To longtime observers, each question carries an obvious choice. The fact that each one is a no-brainer does not mean you should overlook those questions when you vote. That’s because again, the key requirement is unity – a strong majority of residents pooling their voices to demand official attention to several matters that must seem elementary, but have been overlooked too long.

DL