Earlier this week, I took a look at how Gov. Andrew Cuomo is exerting his influence over the MTA, a state agency. Over at Mobilizing the Region, the Tri-State Transportation Campaign’s blog, Nadine Lemmon picked up this thread. She writes of the fact that three of the city’s four appointees to the MTA Board haven’t been confirmed even though the Senate has been sitting on their nominations for nearly a year:
[The Senate] finished the session without taking a vote on any of Mayor de Blasio’s picks — David Jones of the Community Service Society of New York, City Council Transportation Chair Ydanis Rodriguez, and Tri-State Transportation Campaign Executive Director Veronica Vanterpool. Now, almost a year later, the city’s representatives are still waiting in limbo.
New York City is supposed to have four of the 17 seats on the MTA board. Today, the city has one active voting member: Polly Trottenberg, the city’s Transportation Commissioner. John Banks and Jeffrey Kay — still technically on the board — are holdovers from the Bloomberg administration. The other seat has been vacant since early 2015 when former Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall quietly resigned from the board after just a few months.
The missing representation is especially problematic when you consider that over 93 percent of the MTA’s ridership is on New York City Transit subways and buses, the MTA Bus Company and Staten Island Railway. The counties served by Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road have as many votes as New York City, but those systems account for less than 7 percent of total ridership. New York City Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer thinks the city ought to have not only a full four-person slate, but the majority of the MTA’s board seats. Nobody can fault the Senate for wanting to do their “due diligence,” but how can 10 months not be enough time to vet a handful of appointees?
While TSTC has a good point here, there is a bit of a rub: One of the mayor’s MTA appointees may not be eligible to serve. In February, the Daily News reported that Rodriguez, as an elected official to City Council, may have a conflict in serving on the MTA Board. He can’t owe a fiduciary duty to both the MTA and his elected constituents, and it’s not clear if his nomination can go forward. While the fate of Rodriguez’s role on the MTA is up in the air, Cuomo’s people claim they have asked the mayor to re-submit his nominations for the board, but de Blasio hasn’t done so yet. So the MTA is again a pawn in a pointless game between the mayor and the governor in which New Yorkers lose. Take that for what you will.
Meanwhile, we have service advisories to cover this week. Click through for the details.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 29, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 2, 1 service is suspended in both directions between 14 St and South Ferry. 1 trains skip 18 St, 23 St and 28 St in both directions. Free shuttle buses operate between Chambers St and South Ferry.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 29, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 2, 2 trains run local in both directions between Chambers St and 34 St-Penn Station.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 29, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 2, 3 service will operate to/from New Lots Av all weekend replacing the 4 in Brooklyn.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 29, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 2, 3 trains run local in both directions between Chambers St and 34 St-Penn Station.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 29, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 2, 4 trains are suspended in both directions between New Lots Av/Crown Hts-Utica Av and Bowling Green. Take the 2, 3 or free shuttle buses. For service between Borough Hall and Franklin Av, take the 2 or 3. For service between Franklin Av and Crown Hts-Utica Av, take the 3. Transfer between 4 and 2/3 trains at Fulton St. For service between Crown Hts-Utica Av and New Lots Av, use free shuttle buses.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 30 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 2, Downtown 4 trains run local from Grand Central-42 St to Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 29, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 2, 5 trains are suspended in both directions between Eastchester-Dyre Av and E 180 St. Free shuttle buses operate all weekend between Eastchester-Dyre Av and E 180 St, stopping at Baychester Av, Gun Hill Rd, Pelham Pkwy, and Morris Park. Transfer between trains and free shuttle buses at E 180 St.
From 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Saturday, April 30, and from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Sunday, May 1, 5 trains run every 20 minutes. Downtown 5 trains run local from Grand Central-42 St to Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall.
From 3:30 a.m. Saturday, April 30 to 10:00 p.m. Sunday, May 1, 6 trains are suspended in both directions between Pelham Bay Park and Parkchester. Free shuttle buses operate between Parkchester and Pelham Bay Park, stopping at Castle Hill Av, Zerega Av, Westchester Sq, Middletown Rd, and Buhre Av. Transfer between 6 trains and free shuttle buses at Parkchester.
From 6:45 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Saturday, April 30, 34 St-Hudson Yards bound 7 trains run express between Mets-Willets Point and Queensboro Plaza.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 29 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, April 29, and from 11:45 p.m. Sunday, May 1 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 2, Inwood-207 St-bound A trains run express from Canal St to 59 St-Columbus Circle.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 30, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 2, Brooklyn-bound A trains run local between 125 St and 59 St-Columbus Circle.
From 6:30 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1, Uptown C trains run express from Canal St to 59 St-Columbus Circle.
From 4:45 a.m. Saturday, April 30 to 10:00 p.m. Sunday, May 1, Norwood-205 St bound D trains are rerouted on the n line from Coney Island-Stillwell Av to 36 St.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 30 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 2, Brooklyn-bound D trains run local from 125 St to 59 St-Columbus Circle.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 30 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 2, Brooklyn-bound D trains run local from DeKalb Av to 36 St.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 30, to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 2, Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer-bound E trains skip Spring St and 23 St.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 30 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 2, E trains run local in both directions in Queens.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 29 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 2, Coney Island-Stillwell Av bound F trains are rerouted on the m line from 47-50 Sts to Roosevelt Av.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 29 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 2, Jamaica Center-Parsons/Archer bound F skip 14 St and 23 St.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 30 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 2, F trains run local in both directions in Queens.
From 11:30 p.m. Friday, April 29 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 2, L trains are suspended in both directions between Canarsie-Rockaway Pkwy and Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs. Transfer between free shuttle buses and l trains at Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs. To/from Manhattan, consider the A, C or J trains via transfer between trains and shuttle buses at Broadway Junction.
- Free local shuttle buses provide alternate service between Rockaway Pkwy and Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs, stopping at East 105 St, New Lots Av, Livonia Av, Sutter Av, Atlantic Av, Broadway Junction, Bushwick Av-Aberdeen St, Wilson Av, and Halsey St.
- Free express shuttle buses serve Rockaway Pkwy, Broadway Junction, and Myrtle-Wyckoff Avs only, days and evenings.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 29 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 2, Downtown N trains skip 49 St.
From 12:01 a.m. Saturday, April 30 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 2, Coney Island-Stillwell Av bound N trains run local from DeKalb Av to 59 St.
From 11:45 p.m. Friday, April 29 to 6:30 a.m. Sunday, April 29, and from 11:45 p.m. Sunday, May 1 to 5:00 a.m. Monday, May 2, Downtown Q trains skip 49 St.
From 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, April 30 and May 1, Downtown R trains skip 49 St.
3 comments
Why is the fiduciary conflict worse in the case of an elected official than in the case of appointed members who in actual behavior always give the impression they are voting the instructions of their appointing politicla principal rather than exercising their independent judgment of what is their fiduciary duty? Seriously, this discussion uncovers a much deeper flaw in what we expect from board members of our public authorities. All evidence suggests the political principals expect fiduciary behavior when that’s convenient for them, and not when not.
Is that just a conflict in NYS law? When I lived in DC, my city councilperson was on the WMATA Board. Looking at the WMATA Board now, it includes a city councilperson from Alexandria and the chair is a DC’s longest serving city council member. These are all appointed positions. The only place I have lived where the major transit board didn’t include appointees that were elected officials in another capacity is BART in SF, but those board members are elected.
They are looking for toadies. The problem is that it’s hard to find someone who is a toadie of DeBlasio, Cuomo, AND the Republican State Senate.
And they don’t want loose cannons. They want “team players” who will shut up and go along with game. Rather than demanding to know how the shift of obligations to and theft of service from younger and future New Yorkers can be justified.
They don’t want regional equity and generational equity issues raised publicly at the MTA. Because the resulting controversy might extend beyond the MTA.