2020
BERNARD
CYLICH
FIRST VP BOARD OF DIRECTORS
RIVER BAY CORPORATION
Bernard Cylich has been serving as First VP for River Bay Corporation. Cylich and his family,
holocaust survivors, arrived in New York City from Germany on a US troop transport on
December 13, 1949. They settled in the Bronx, and he grew up a social activist. In 1967, he
married Olivia. They raised three children and today are reaping naches from our wonderful
5��grandchildren.
For the past fi fty years of his life, Cylich has been intertwined with the fate of Co-op City. Today,
as the First Vice President of Riverbay Corporation, he has been proud to have played a
role, during the past half century, to insure that the audacious experiment by visionary sponsors,
designers, and builders��— militant socialist labor leaders��— of Co-op City a Mitchell-Lama
cooperative for 15,000��working families succeeded.
Co-op City has had a turbulent history. At times the visionary experiment was on the verge
of failure due to runaway infl ation, construction defects, corruption, bloated overruns, mismanagement,
fi nancial hemorrhaging, and attempts to privatization. They overcame those
setbacks and today Co-op City remains a vibrant integrated affordable cooperative community
��— the best deal in town��— with well-designed apartments in park-like settings. Co-op City
has stood as an example how the nation can solve the housing crisis with half million homeless.
Under the leadership of former President Cleve Taylor and today’s President Linda Berk, Coop
City has been successfully guided into the 21st century. Their community has become the
shining beacon for our nation, fulfi lling the dreams of our founders.
KINGS OF THE BRONX