Kalikow to resign once Spitzer names replacement

The Peter Kalikow Resignation saga is finally drawing to a close. The outgoing MTA Chairman announced today that he would resign as soon as New York State Governor Eliot Spitzer names his retirement, The Times’ Empire Zone blog reported today.

Kalikow, the chair since 2001, was appointed to a new six-year term last year, but he announced in November that he would step down this year. In March, Kalikow wasn’t quite ready to quit, but now the time is right. “I am a firm believer in setting aggressive goals, accomplishing those goals and then giving others the opportunity to both expand upon those initiatives and create new ones with fresh vision and new energy,” Kalikow said in a press release. “As both a longtime public servant and an avid supporter of term limits as a means to maintain healthy and effective government leadership, I believe the public will be best served by my decision.”

This decision comes on the heels of the groundbreaking for the Second Ave. subway, one of Kalikow’s pet projects. The Republican appointee wanted to wait around for the start of this highly-anticipated project.

Elliot “Lee” Sander, the MTA’s CEO, praised Kalikow’s willingness to fight for public transportation in New York City. “Peter Kalikow has made an invaluable contribution to the MTA, most notably fighting for the 2005 Bond Act and the capital dollars needed to begin building Second Avenue Subway and East Side Access,” Sander said. “Peter has been a great asset to me personally in my first few months on the job, and I wish him all the best.”

As The Times notes, Kalikow had some words of wisdom for Sander and those who will carry on his work at the MTA. “Raise fares only as a last resort, but do not leave the fares artificially low, which will cause disinvestment in our system,” he said. Kalikow declined to comment on the necessity of a fare increase for 2008, saying “that’s now Lee’s problem.”

After the jump: A list from the MTA of some of Kalikow’s key accomplishments.

• The Second Avenue Subway, a previously abandoned project that was revived out of a strong need to improve transit options on the East Side of Manhattan and help the City meet the immense and growing citywide transportation needs of the 21st Century.
• East Side Access, which will enable Long Island Railroad passengers to use Grand Central Station.
• Extension of the #7 subway line to the far West Side of Manhattan.
• Quick restoration of post 9/11 public transit and the subsequent creation of the Fulton Transit Center and the extensive renovation of the South Ferry Terminal, which both continue to help revitalize Lower Manhattan in the wake of 9/11.
• Billions of dollars in federal funding that resulted from a new relationship between the MTA and Washington.
• Creation of the MTA Capital Construction Company to ensure the timely and cost-effective completion of MTA capital projects.
• Purchase of 4,400 subway cars, commuter rail cars and buses, transforming one of the oldest fleets in the nation to one of the newest.
• Purchase of 500 hybrid buses, underscoring the MTA’s commitment to a cleaner environment.
• Creation of MTA Bus, which successfully took over the private bus lines, improving service for thousands of daily bus commuters.
• Successful passage of the 2005 Bond Act, demonstrating the public’s confidence in the MTA’s ability to complete major capital projects.
• Increase of the MTA police force and implementation of technologies to better ensure the safety of commuters.
• Overhaul of the budgetary process by improving transparency, accountability and public access to MTA budget plans