The Kessel NYPA Watch, December 13, 2009 – By George J. Marlin
Kessel Asides
Street Corner Conservative has a long-standing practice of not writing about itself but makes an exception for the following. On Thursday, December 3, Street Corner attended its first ever Christmas Party on Long Island, in this case one hosted by a leading business group run by one of the savviest political operators on Long Island. Attending the party were real estate barons, captains of industry, politicians, lawyers, bankers and brokers and assorted other hanger-ons. And Richie Kessel.
streetcornerconservative.com 
December 29, 2009 at 8:44 pm
Another VP is due to hit us next week. No job posting, just another “job for the boys (or girls)”.
I’m so disheartened it’s not funny. Here’s to a positive 2010, but I’m pretty sure we are doomed to hell with this guy and his friends.
December 28, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Well the power grab is complete. What a wonderful Christmas greeting from the Chairman. The Trustees (what they have to do with “trust” is beyond me) have given NYPA lock, stock and barrel to this POS. No raises or variable pay last year, no raises next year but the Union will get theirs again. All this while watching a steady influx of six figure salaried lackeys filling the 16 & 17 floors. It’s been bad before (think S. David Freeman) but NYPA will never recover from this. I hope Patterson realizes the last time they gave away the keys to the shop a Republican got elected governor. Pray history repeats itself.
December 21, 2009 at 10:51 am
Other people could definitely do these jobs – however, they are NOT being posted. This is a joke, surely? The level of blatant nepotism and cronyism is breathtaking.
Where are the Board of Trustees? Asleep?
I’m glad I’m out this week. I think I’ll clean up my resume and get the heck out of Dodge before it implodes. How much longer can this debacle last?
December 20, 2009 at 8:47 pm
Kessel has hired yet another crony from LIPA this week. Unbelievable. Isnt there anyone inside NYPA or in other parts of the State that could do these jobs? But I guess Rocco the Tax Collector is getting paid to rubber stamp these hires.
December 20, 2009 at 8:00 pm
This is all just so sad. Yrs of building a fairly decent reputation as a fairly well run state agency and in less than a year Richie and Gil have converted it into a safe haven or dumping home, depending on your view, for their political hack friends. At least maybe Gil is on his way out. The CFO has now been screwed over and being repalced by the old CFO at LIPA, a friend of Richie’s, what a surprise. The word is she is a very unfriendly/mean personality. Well she will make it easier for Richie to buy support and try and keep his job, with NYPA money and finances, in Albany by probably givng away more of NYPA’s money into the black hole of the state treasury. The Trustees are a real joke too for letting all this happen. So much for fudiciary responsibility.
December 18, 2009 at 9:51 am
There’s a bet on how long Kessel will spend speaking about himself and how wonderful he is.
The party is meant to last two hours? So that’s 119 minutes listening to “The Narcissist” talking, and 1 minute to get out and get home!
Happy Holidays people. Here’s to a more productive, less nepotistic 2010…..
December 17, 2009 at 7:23 pm
Nobody seems to have the will to stop this big blowhard.
The non-politically connected long-timers at NYPA are absolutely disgusted with Kessel and his cronies. We can’t wait for the day when the whole bunch of these overpaid and underqualified political hacks are shown the door.
P.S. Expect a lot of no shows at tomorrow’s party.
December 16, 2009 at 8:11 pm
Expect to hear some interesting news soon – after the Board Meeting this week. Big reshuffle coming – looks like our “Glorious Leader” is making a power grab. Lots of direct reports. Hmmm – how will that work, as he’s never actually in the office.
I wonder if the Board Members were actually awake, or did Richie bore them so much that they just voted on whatever he wanted.
Ah, let the games begin.
December 13, 2009 at 2:31 pm
I’ll bet he’ll be at the NYPA party this Friday. I wonder how many people will show up to it? No doubt Richie will be “singing” (I use that term very loosely)and blowing his own trumpet.
He’s a veritable one man band, and with his very own backing singers: Fran, Rocco & Bert.
Why do I feel like I’m rearranging chairs on the deck of the Titanic these days?
One more year, and I’m out.
December 13, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Word around the shop is that a number of soon to be unemployed Suozzi higher ups have given their resumes to Richie and new HR guy Rocco the Tax Collector and are trolling for high paid gigs with NYPA. A once great agency has been reduced to a hiring mill for out of work Long Island hacks.
December 13, 2009 at 12:51 pm
Kessel hasn’t gone to any holiday parties upstate because he has to be home on Long Island in the evening to politic and kiss downstate political ***.