With the subways and commuter trains in crisis, Gov. Cuomo introduced a bill Tuesday to give himself control of the MTA board to tackle the problems.
The bill was filed just 24 hours before the scheduled end of the legislative session, leaving some to question how serious a proposal it is. The governor said the issue is vitally important.
“The MTA is in a state of crisis,” Cuomo said. “Historic underfunding leaves it with obsolete equipment going back to the 1940s. The bureaucracy is dysfunctional. The recent Penn emergency track closures on July 8 will be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel’s back.”
Cuomo — who at times has claimed responsibility for the MTA while at other times distancing himself from its problems — currently appoints the agency’s chairman and has six voting seats out of 14 on the board.
Under his plan, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board would grow by two voting members, both appointed by the governor.
In addition, the vote by the board chairman Cuomo appoints would count as two. That would give the governor nine out of 16 voting seats.
“In sum, let’s fix the fundamental and initial mistake — put someone in charge,” Cuomo said.
He called the state the obvious choice to manage a regional network given it contributes so much more to the MTA than any of the localities.
“The simple fact is if no one has the responsibility and the authority, fundamental, rapid change of any culture or system is impossible,” he said.
Faced with criticism, Cuomo has tried to argue in recent weeks that he does not control the MTA despite appointing its leadership team, but he takes credit for projects like the recent completion of the Second Ave. subway, and for successfully calling for a fare discount for Long Island Rail Road riders diverted during the upcoming Penn Station summertime repairs.
Cuomo says his bill, which insiders say has virtually no chance of passing before the Legislature departs, is designed to give the governor the true power to run the system.
“Some people assume the state’s six voting seats are the majority and say the state has control,” Cuomo said. “Obviously, six is not a majority of the 14 voting seats, and many issues generate controversy that can cause the other jurisdictions to defeat the six votes.”
Mayor de Blasio and spokesmen for Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie (D-Bronx) and state Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan (R-Suffolk) had no comment on the late bill.
But several state lawmakers were quick to attack the substance and timing of the legislation.
“I don’t support it, but the fact that it was given to us just 24 hours before the end of the legislative session indicates to me it’s something he might want to discuss in the future, but doesn’t seriously believe it’s going to happen now,” said Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Bronx), chairman of the Assembly committee that oversees the MTA.
Dinowitz noted it was the governor who pushed through a $65 million cut to the agency’s operating budget this year.
Assemblywoman Nily Rozic also opposes the bill, calling it “purely a power grab.”
Charles Moerdler, an MTA board member appointed by former Gov. David Paterson, said it was only appropriate for the governor of New York to get a bigger majority on the MTA board, given the $8.3 billion promise Cuomo made for the agency’s $32 billion capital plan.
Former MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota called it “a great proposal.”
But Veronica Vanterpool, an MTA board member representing the city, decried a lack of adequate state funding for the agency, saying that “contributes to the problems that we’re experiencing today.”
Riders Alliance Executive Director John Raskin said Cuomo already controls the MTA by appointing the board chairman, having the most board members, and dictating the agency’s spending priorities.
Raskin said the problem with the MTA is not the board structure, but “the absence of leadership and the lack of a credible plan from Gov. Cuomo for how he will fix the subway.”
While Cuomo introduced a bill to give him absolute control over the MTA board, the legislative session will end without Cuomo having appointed a permanent chairman of the board, who would need state Senate confirmation.
He also hasn’t introduced legislation to split the top leadership job into two separate posts — a change the MTA previously said it would seek.
Transport Workers Union Local 100 President John Samuelsen applauded Cuomo for stepping up.
“The governor is not shirking responsibility like some politicians, he’s out in the open, meeting this decades-old challenge head-on.” Samuelsen said.
