| Yes, I am aware that this is a bold statement. But in the context of the MTA crisis, it is the Senate that is offering the short-sighted, politically expedient option that decimates the long-term outlook of the MTA and possibly the whole New York metropolitan region for a generation.
Silver, if nothing else, has his finger on the political pulse of his conference and was able to cut a compromise where the MTA bailout's bridge tolls would be cut to $2. While I will never forgive Silver's deletion of congestion pricing in the most opaque manner legislatively possible, he appears to at least understand now that an essentially functional (and I use that term loosly) MTA is necessary to the city's survival.
The Senate's (and frankly, the Governor's) obstinacy to politically painful actions and hard choices is not what I was expecting when we took over the chamber in the last cycle. To be sure, it's a hell of a lot better than if Skelos was running the show, as every idiot in his conference has flat-out opposed any new bridge tolls. But the Senate majority is not making an encouraging sign with this action, or lack thereof.
The MTA finance committee just voted today to implement a drastic fare hike. To the Senators or any staffers who might be reading this, think ahead to next year's election: do you want to be known as the conference who let the MTA die? Stop twiddling your thumbs and make a hard choice. You wanted control and you got it- now use it. |
