Up in Albany, the Senate doors remain locked, and Malcolm Smith may be gearing up to file suit against the state Republicans. It is, in other words, a good old fashioned political deadlock with no clear end in sight.
As New York is coming to grips with its paralyzed State Senate, we’re still trying to discern how this shift in leadership will impact the MTA. The long-term outlook remains cloudy, but Pete Donohue in today’s Daily News speculates on the leadership void at the agency.
At the end of May, as part of the conditions of the Albany rescue plan, Elliot Sander stepped down as CEO and executive director of the authority. Since then, Helena Williams has been filling in on an interim basis, and with Albany in turmoil, she may be there for a while. As Donohue notes, the Senate will have to confirm any Paterson nominee before its scheduled summer adjournment on June 22.
Since the Senate will first have to reconvene, receive a nomination and then schedule confirmatin hearings, it is highly doubtful the MTA will have a permanent leader within the next 12 days. “Until there’s a Senate prepared to start confirmation hearings, I would think the process has to stop, temporarily at least,” Richard Ravitch said to the News. “Would you want it announced you were taking a job subject to confirmation that might not happen for six months? Your current employer would be pretty upset.”
The MTA will need a leader soon. The agency faces tough decisions over the future of its capital plan and the reality of a shaky economic foundation. Williams is a solid choice for interim head, but the longer this drama in Albany drags on, the more the MTA, with its uncertain leadership structure, will suffer. One thing is for sure: It’s never a boring day when New York politics are involved.