Reader’s Write: de Blasio could be key person for LI commuters

The Island Now

Residents of Great Neck, New Hyde Park, Herricks, Williston Park, Garden City, Manhasset, Roslyn and other communities on Long Island who commute to jobs in New York City may be impacted by the relationship between New York City Mayor Elect Bill de Blasio with Albany and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

In 1953, the old city Board of Transportation passed on control of the municipal subway system, including all its assets to the newly created New York City Transit Authority. 

Under late Gov. Nelson Rockefeller in the ‘60s, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority was created. The governor appointed four board members. The mayor also appointed four and the rest by suburban county executives. 

No one elected official controlled a majority of the votes. 

As a result, elected officials have historically taken credit when the MTA or any operating subsidiary such as New York City Transit would do a good job. When operational problems occurred or fare increases were needed, everyone say “Don’t blame me, I’m only a minority within the Board.” 

Decade after decade, New York City mayors, comptrollers, public advocates, city council presidents, borough presidents and city council members would all play the same sad song, if only we had majority control of the board, things would be different. 

All have long forgotten that buried within the 1953 master agreement between the City of New York and New York City Transit is an escape clause. New York City has the legal right at any time to take back control of its assets, which includes the subway and most of the bus system as well. 

Actions speak louder than words. If Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio feels he could do a better job running the nation’s largest subway and bus system, will he step up to the plate now and regain control of his destiny?

Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio’s recent announcement concerning his “transportation agenda when he said “The federal government since the Ronald Reagan era has retreated from its investment in mass transportation” may indicate his lack of understanding concerning the history of transportation funding. On a bipartisan basis under past Republican presidents George Bush, George W. Bush along with Democrats Bill Clinton and Barrack Obama, all have consistently supported billions of dollars of assistance from Washington for the MTA.  

They have been supported by a majority bipartisan coalition of both Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate. They represent both urban, old suburb and new suburb districts whose constituents utilize and benefit by federal investment in public transportation.  

Billions more have been provided by Washington as a result of 9/11 and American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.  Billions more are on the way from Uncle Sam as a result of Hurricane Sandy.  

The federal government faces a $17 trillion dollar and growing national debt accompanied by an on-going budget crises. It is unrealistic for Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio to assume that Washington has any more money.  Uncle Sam, unlike both New York City and New York State has done more than its fair share to help in good times and bad.

For decades, under numerous past MTA five-year capital plans, both the city and state collectively cut billions of their own respective financial contributions. They repeatedly had the MTA refinance or borrow funds to acquire scarce capital funding formerly made up by hard cash from both City Hall and Albany. 

This has resulted in long term MTA debt doubling from $15 billion to over $32 billion during this time frame. More money has to be spent on debt-service payments.  

This has resulted in billions of fewer dollars available for both operating and capital improvements for safety, state of good repair and system expansion capital projects and programs.  

While Washington has consistently provided billions, it is both City Hall and Albany that have retreated from properly financing the MTA Capital Program since the 1980s.

Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio has fellow Democrats city Comptroller Scott Stringer, Public Advocate Letitia James, a future New York City council speaker along with 48 of 51 city council members. 

Starting with the upcoming July 1, 2014 municipal budget, will they work with him to support increasing New York City’s capital funding to the MTA?  

The same holds true for supporting increasing funding to the city Department of Transportation Staten Island Ferry System and other private ferry operators. 

Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio has fellow Democrats Gov. Andrew Cuomo, state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli (our neighbor who used to represent us in Albany as a member of the state Assembly) and state Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver along with 99 members of the state Assembly.  

Fifty-nine are based in New York City.  There are 16 more from Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Putnam, Rockland and Dutchess counties, giving Silver a working majority. 

State Senate minority leader Andrea Stewart-Cummins has 20 of 22 members from New York City.  There are two more members lead by Sen. Jeffrey Klein of the “Independent Democratic Caucus from New York City.  

Add two other New York City-based and 12 Long Island-Hudson Valley suburban Republican state senators lead by GOP Senate leader Dean Skelos, there is a working majority coalition within the MTA service area.  

Asking suburban-based members of the state Legislature – be they sssembly members or state senators, Democrats or Republicans to support any non-New York City resident paying a commuter tax has historically been and will continue to be doomed to failure.  

This will continue with all having to face voters in 2014.  Asking them all to support increasing funding to the MTA would benefit constituents of New York City-based public officials who ride New York City Transit bus and subway.  

It would also benefit suburban based office holders whose constituents ride either the Long Island Rail Road or Metro North Rail Road. This could build a winning majority coalition in both the state Assembly and state Senate.  

Will Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio attempt to build bridges on mutual issues of interest with suburban residents that could benefit everyone? Will he challenge Albany to increase its contribution to the next 2015-2019 MTA Capital Program by billions more? 

Gov. Andrew Cuomo recently refused to sign off on legislation creating a “lock box” to protect state budget allocations to the MTA.  In the past, funds have periodically been reprogrammed from the MTA to non transit budget activities when the state faced budget difficulties.  

Will Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio lobby the governor to change his position and sign this valuable piece of legislation which would insure a more secure state funding stream for the MTA?  

It will be interesting to see who Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio appoints to fill the four-New York City based MTA board seats, along with the next city department of transportation commissioner.  

Millions of daily transportation riders who are taxpayers and voters  await the news.

Larry Penner

Great Neck

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