Re: “Cuomo poised to raid MTA Funds,” Larry Penner, 2/23/2021. While I agree with the author that any money “lost” by the MTA is not good, my opinion is more detail is needed before it can be concluded how deleterious the effect of not having this money.
Among other agencies, the author mentions “many other bus operators throughout the state.”
How can it possibly be determined how much of a cut will be felt by each agency if the author states “many bus operators?” What percentage of the MTA’s overall operating budgeting does this loss constitute?
Almost 10 years ago in this very publication, the author had a written tete-a-tete with Congressman Gary Ackerman because Ackerman was bemoaning the loss of federal aid to the Helen Keller Institute.
Among the points of logic used by the author is he doubted the money Ackerman wanted to “bring home” to the HKI would make a serious difference in its overall budget. I agree with the author on this.
In his response to Ackerman’s letter, the author stated how good managers learn to do more with less. In various opinion pieces circulating the various newspapers in the tri-state area, the author has been railing (no pun intended) against federal bailouts of the MTA, insisting the MTA does not have a money problem but a money-wasting problem.
He discusses the wisdom of putting various capital programs on hold.
So which is it? Does the MTA have a problem with wasting money, or should the MTA learn to do more with less?
As far as MTA Chairman Pat Foye not wanting to speak out against Cuomo, I’d like the author to answer this question. During his time at FTA did the author ever disagree with his supervisor?
If so, what did he do? Accept his supervisor’s judgment or go against him/her and risk loss of his (the author’s) job? Whatever issues MTA Chair Pat Foye may have, why would he risk losing his job over a cut which, in absolute terms may be a staggering amount of money in relative terms, might be “a drop in the bucket” to the MTA?
Nat Weiner
Bronx
