State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s recent critical audit of the MTA and its impending fare hikes is the height of hypocrisy!.
As a member of the State Assembly from 1986 to 2006, he faithfully voted for every budget put forward by New York State Democratic Speaker Sheldon Silver which were also adopted by the Republican controlled State Senate and signed off by the governor. Each year, DiNapoli and friends refused to adopt the appropriate levels of direct financial assistance to support past and current MTA Five Year Capital Programs going back decades shortchanging them by billions of dollars.
DiNapoli and colleagues insisted that the MTA raise billions by borrowing. This has resulted in a greater reliance of bonding, which in turn eats up a greater percentage of the MTA’s budget on interest costs to support debt service payments. In turn, this has resulted in the fare hikes he is so quick to demagogue. Does DiNapoli even use the Long Island Rail Road from his Great Neck home to Penn Station and switch to Amtrak for his journey to Albany? Does he even own and use a Metro Card on subways and buses? Perhaps he prefers to leave millions of ordinary New Yorkers behind and have taxpayer-funded staff member drive him around town?
In a previous life, as a loyal member of the State Assembly under Speaker Silver – then State Assemblymember DiNapoli year after year voted in favor of each and every adopted state budget. Year after year, by his vote — he concurred with both increasing spending above the rate of inflation along with allowing state debt to grow by billions upon billions of dollars.
In return, Assemblymember DiNapoli got to bring home his share of the bacon known as member-item pork-barrel spending. Many of his constituents including myself didn’t believe that most of these treats were kosher. As a result of his long-time faithful allegiance to Speaker Silver, in 2008 he was selected by a joint session of all 212 members of the State Legislature to fill the vacancy created by resignation of State Comptroller Alan Hevesi.
Millions of registered voters were disenfranchised in the process by this back-door maneuver. It is interesting that after all these years, State Comptroller DiNapoli continues attempting to reinvent himself from the days of State Assemblymember DiNapoli. Then again, why would anyone expect any less from one of Albany’s insider bipartisan career politicians?
Comptroller DiNapoli will never disagree with his mentor Speaker Silver or his other benefactors in the State Legislature. He will also never campaign against Speaker Silver or his other benefactors in the State Legislature. Party loyalty is more important than any allegiance to taxpayers and transit riders who have to pick up the tab
Larry Penner
Great Neck
