Community
The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation is essentially the local governing power of Roosevelt Island. It was “established by the New York State Legislature in 1984 as a public benefit corporation appointed with control over the operation, maintenance, and development of the island.”¹ In addition to supervising the Island’s public finances and regulating business there, the RIOC advertises for companies and encourages community activities, with a robust events calendar online. The website also features Roosevelt Island’s demographics and a link to the Island’s very own Public Safety Department, a unique feature due to their community policing.
Another important Roosevelt Island organization is the aforementioned Roosevelt Island Residents Association.² Housing is a key feature of Roosevelt Island with a booming real estate market, and a significant percentage of residents who live in rent-controlled apartments. Thus, RIRA’s Housing and Government Relations Committees play vital roles in the lives of those residents who live in these circumstances. Because the Island operates largely independently from city and state government, its residents rely on their representatives and various government entities to inform and protect their rights and responsibilities. Also, government has always been a major employer of anyone who works on Roosevelt Island, with the lack of small businesses so central to a New York City identity – so these entities do more than just inform and protect their residents.
Common Council Members, RIRA
¹ Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, http://rioc.ny.gov/history.htm.
² Roosevelt Island Residents Association, http://www.riraonline.com/about.