By Matt Hampton
Now, with the revelation that train, bus and subway fares may rise dramatically, residents are demanding answers from their local politicians.
Albany has been wringing its hands over the MTA’s financial situation for the better part of a year, and little has been done to quell fears that the agency’s problems would spill directly into commuter’s wallets and pocketbooks.
Now a few local elected officials are weighing in on the subject, and talking about what needs to be done to help save Long Islanders from huge fare hikes. The Herald talked recently with three local politicians: state Sens. Craig Johnson (D-Port Washington) and Dean Skelos (R-Rockville Center), and Assemblyman Tom Alfano (R-Franklin Square). All three blamed bad management for the MTA’s predicament, and agreed that its unwieldy budget — and giant budget gap — have become a political football, and that a public audit of the MTA is vital to make sure those who use it are getting the most for their money.
“The MTA has a history of financially irresponsible management and secretive bookkeeping,” Johnson said. “The Senate Democratic Conference has called for a forensic audit of the MTA by a reputable outside accounting firm.”
Alfano and Skelos both placed the blame squarely on the new Democratic leadership in Albany. “Republicans should not have been excluded from the discussion about how to solve the MTA’s financial challenges,” Skelos said. “If Democrats and Republicans could sit down and exchange ideas, we could discuss what’s workable and find a solution.”
Alfano went a step further, saying that New York City Democrats, concerned only with the welfare of New York’s more urban residents, hurt Long Islanders. “The governor could have shown leadership, gave us a bill and asked us for input in this mess,” he said. “He didn’t. And I can’t help but wonder that it may be due to the fact that the Senate majority leader is from Queens. The speaker is from Manhattan. The governor is from Manhattan. ... The suburbs like Long Island, Westchester and Rockland are being left behind. It’s disgraceful.”
The two Republicans voiced their opposition to instituting tolls on East River bridges into Manhattan. Alfano called the idea a “non-starter,” while Skelos denied that there was any support for it among Republicans in Albany. Johnson, for his part, said he would reserve judgment on the tolls until every possible scenario for MTA fundraising had been explored.
When asked for suggestions, Alfano said he wanted to see cuts in the administration of the MTA, including outside contracts, while Johnson said he wanted the MTA to come to the negotiating table in Albany to find a “common-sense solution.”
All three agreed, however, that because of the MTA’s massive size and its ability thus far to avoid an audit, there is no easy solution for commuters. Aside from such an audit — which Johnson and Alfano have both said they favor, Skelos did not give his specific position on an audit — there is little that can be done to reveal the agency’s finances.
“Right now, I have the funny feeling that we’re dealing with an AIG-like entity,” Alfano said.
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