The Kessel NYPA Watch, August 2, 2009 – By George J. Marlin
Richie Kessel: NYPA’s Phantom CEO
Part I
Our correspondents have told Street Corner Conservative time and again that Richie Kessel spends very little time working at his office at NYPA’s White Plains’ headquarters. Kessel’s NYPA mobile phone records—for the period October 20, 2008-April 28, 2009—recently released to Street Corner Conservative, after lengthy delays, confirms our correspondents’ claims.
Street Corner Conservative has now received many Kessel NYPA mobile phone records which reveal that Kessel does not show up for work at White Plains on most Fridays.
Between October 20, 2008 and April 28, 2009 there were 27 Fridays. Kessel spent 15 of these Fridays—56 percent—wandering around Long Island and New York City and one in January in Florida, the Friday before the Super Bowl.
Kessel Friday whereabouts:
Friday, November 21, 2008 – Long Island and New York City
Friday, November 28, 2008 – Long Island and New York City
Friday, December 5, 2008 – Long Island
Friday, December 12, 2008 – Long Island and New York City
Friday, December 19, 2008 – Long Island and New York City
Friday, December 26, 2008 – Long Island and New York City
Friday, January 2, 2009 – Long Island and New York City
Friday, January 9, 2009 – Long Island
Friday, January 16, 2009 – Long Island and New York City
Friday, January 30, 2009 – Florida (Super Bowl Weekend)
Friday, February 13, 2009 – Long Island
Friday, February 27, 2009 – Long Island and New York City
Friday, March 20, 2009 – Long Island
Friday, March 27, 2009 – Long Island and New York City
Friday, April 3, 2009 – Long Island and New York City
Friday, April 17, 2009 – Long Island and New York City
It is an outrage that Richie Kessel, the CEO of an upstate New York power agency dedicated to providing low coast power upstate, spends most of his Fridays flitting around Long Island and New York City at the government’s expense. As Street Corner Conservative has reported in the past, Kessel is often sited at Long Island political functions and restaurants in New York City.
Hardworking dedicated NYPA employees—who must report to their workstations every working day—should complain to NYPA board members that Kessel is a slacker who uses his office to enhance his lifestyle and to promote his Long Island political career.
Stay tuned to Street Corner Conservative for additional reports on the whereabouts of NYPA’s phantom CEO—Richie Kessel.
streetcornerconservative.com 
August 25, 2009 at 10:20 pm
Kessel and Quiniones seem to be hiring all their friends….but no professional staff. Lets hope the AG is paying attention. We use to have a Chief Risk Officer who stood up and pushed back on some of this crazy stuff from Kessel and Quinions but we haven’t replaced him….why not. A previous state audit required NYPA to have one and set up risk control processes… which he did…good ones too. But how are we gonna look next audit when we don’t have one anymore….or maybe Kessel and Quiniones will be gone before then….lets hope !!
August 21, 2009 at 8:29 pm
AppalledbyWhiners – would you like to comment on the nepotism issue as it pertains to both the Kessel and Quiniones regimes?
August 11, 2009 at 10:35 pm
Shame on the whining NYPA employees who pass along half truths as gospel. New York City and the public buildings in the city represent the largest block of customers for NYPA. The Governor also has offices in the city as well as the Empire State Development Corp. These are all legitimate reasons to be in New York City and not in White Plains. Rich Kessel has also been out of the headquarters office because he has spent more time in the North and West parts of the state than any of his predecessors. Finally, I’ll bet some of those Fridays (summer and Super Bowl) were vacation days.
Stop the whining and stay focused on your own work instead of trying to pull down the CEO who was appointed by the Governor and approved by the Board and the Senate.
August 7, 2009 at 11:49 am
Fridays? this guy is never here any day of the week. He’s on LI or sometimes visiting political friends in the city. he has the worst work ethic of any senior PASNY leader in my over 25 years at the authority. Disgraceful
August 2, 2009 at 5:54 pm
Fridays–this guy Kessel is never in any PASNY office on Fridays in the summer. We understand that he likes to go to Jones Beach on Long Island on Fridays. He is never around on Fridays not that he is around much the rest of the week. Past CEOs whether Republicans or Democrats at least came to work and put in the time.