Folder_0047

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

keepei withoutbeing an actualemployee anent as a ridiculous affront io minorities." have become a hot issue of late because-- Boyle would have none of it.. He wrote to _ .. What Boyles side seized on was the lards of the growing illicit trade_.- in Hudson River Fry on February 2 I Riverkeeper pays exception clause, which states that refus- " caviar: Last fall; to pmtecr what he termed ,:. Wegner it amounts to rehiring him, no . ing to hire a convict is allowed if there is a "these extraordinary fishes Kennedy called crackdown on smugglers. matter how coy and convoluted the Ian- "direct relationship" between any of his for a sharp guage: ! 7lf Wegrter is hired.! am gone." crimes and the "employment being sought" The new regime at Riverkeeper also Thus Riverkeeper stumbled through the To them it was obvious: This was not only - faces the challenge of rerallying its own ttis na ` If Keunedyww-assint6mperate-and s their out itwas the reason they didnt want troops—those dozen or so unsung staffers he was—~ewac equalyJso Fiehad an WegnerIn the fast place - _ based tri Gamson'zNew:Yotk; tlie'oues_. ego to match Kennedy's ,he;had. reigned Even there at the table, moderates like out theredailytestikig fish and checking`. over the_organimuon:as.president;since Zagoreos were still trying to rescue the reportsof illegaldtunpmg-;"There were 1966. But by now both his friends and his situation. tocraft some last;minutecam= 'a lot of tears'overthis, rsays one staffer foes had realized it was time for him to quit promise. To no avail: About 40 minutes who asked not to be named. "Bob Boyle the post, whatever the outcome on Weg- in, the vote was called. Kennedy won, 13- is the guru. We lost our leader." net. No one could call Boyle a diplomat, 8. (Not all 13 were slaves to Kennedy; at Views of Riverkeeper's future are all over and that's what the job cried outfor now, least a couple of people say they were the map. Lorraine Bracco says, "The someone who could make peace. Still, fac- moved by the "compassion element.") prospects are endless. We've just started. ing this change may not have been easy Boyle and most of his supporters packed This is a baby." At the other extreme for Boyle. "He built this organization," one Fletcher Hodges believes that "Riverkeeper it as a strong force is absolutely finished." Sev- friend says. "He'd given his life to it. And he was angry that it had gotten away from Boyle is a genius, eral, including Boyle in moderate mo- • him, that it wasn't completely in his control ments, take a middle view, though there anymore, that a lot of the fund-raising was • is some concern that Kennedy's domi- being done without him, that he couldn't uncompromtsable. nance will reduce Riverkeeper to a-polit:- call the shots.' In any case, Boyle an- ical lobbying group. "What's it going to be nounced his intention to step down and now, the fourth ward of the Democratic take a regular place on the board—if the Kennedy has Party?" asks Boyle."It'll live. I hope it does board got rid ofWegner, that is. Otherwise good work. But the integrity of the orga- 11 nization is compromised." he would quit entirely. The vote on Wegner, up or down, was star quality, says Kennedy's own future too is hard to finally scheduled for June 20. Bayonets - guess. "Bobby has said to me on two oc- were fixed.'As Fry says, "It was either casions that he has no intention of run- Kennedy or Boyle.' Arid according to Alex Alex - agoreOS. ring for public office; says Fry. "But that's Zagoreos, then on the board, "Going in, it how people are 'thinking, that -Bobby's was not at all dear how the vote was going (( headed for the Senate, or some top job in to come out' It Could have Washington—like head of the Environ- The meeting was held that evening in a - mental Protection Agency, if Gore gets conference room of the Manhattan law firm ` `' ` ,, elected. But this Wegnerthing throws a Willlde Farr & Gallagher. About 20 board been magzcal . whole new light on it. It was reckless and members were present, with several more foolish, and it's bound to come up. If Bobby on speakerphone. up and left. Another member, Ann Tonetti, really does have such ambitions, this will As it turned out, a lot of this last de- voted with Kennedy but resigned two days nor do him any good in Washington." bate centered on whether refusing to hire later, angry at the lack of respect some of Of course Kennedy's energy, talents, and Wegner constituted a violation of New his supporters had shown to Bob Boyle. formidable fund-raising skills remain undi- York state's civil rights law. Kennedy in- minished. And after his rough passage Weg- friends. "I sisted that it did. Just prior to the meet- Riverkeeper is now rebuilding. Board ner is, for the moment, among who threw in with believe we got a very brilliant man at a dis. Ing he'd sent everyone a memo, drafted member Dick Knabel. contending that Kennedy in the late going, has been in- count price because he made a mistake," by an associate at Pace, describes Weg- if Wegner was denied a job he could sue stalled as interim president, replacing Bracco says. Brenda Boozer himself is now listed net now as "a lovely, gentle soul" who is not only Riverkeeper itself but "any board Boyle, and Kennedy - - - member personally and directly involved as vice. president. As of July, there is a doing "devoted, dedicated work." In his firing"—a tactic Boyle regarded as new executive director —John Cronin's - Finally,''-no 'one can be certain o! the baldest kind of intimidation. At the old job —namely, Alex Matthiessen (son Kennedy's motives—'whether he decided at tt meeting itself Kennedy also maintained, of naturalist Peter Matthiessen). William some point to use Wegner as a crowbar the Alliance to dislodge Boyle and the rest. Whether he dit as he did later in his telephone interview, Wegner has moved from that discriminating against convicted the Riverkeeper staff, or not, he's the last man standing. felons was, legally, the same as discrim- The group will need to marshal its en- "Bob Boyle is innovative. argenius, un inating against blacks and gays. "If I had ergies quickly. At least 15 new power plants compromisable," says Alex Zagoreos to Me a black or gay. I'd have to resign," have recently been proposed in the Hud- "Bobby Kennedy has star quality. And i he said, and the same held true for son River Valley region, including five on we'd had a balance between the two side: riverbank itself. And as always it could have been magical. Together the., Wegner. Patrick Crow, among others or near the present. recalls this whole line of argu- there are threats to local wildlife. Sturgeon would have been unbeatable-" ■

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