Poll Watch: Paterson Getting No Respect for MTA Rescue Efforts

If you’re the sort of person who just can’t resist unscientific internet polls (and I am), there are a couple of good ones about the current state of MTA rescue talks. In NY1’s who-to-blame poll, ineffectual Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith was getting off scot-free as of about 4:30 this afternoon:

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The governor, who went on the offensive today criticizing Smith’s chamber, might find more favor among Daily News readers, judging by this poll that asks what people think of the Senate Dems’ MTA proposal:

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Albany and City Hall Slouch Toward MTA Endgame

By Ben Fried |
Let’s recap the last week of the MTA funding saga. On Monday, Malcolm Smith and the Senate Democrats introduced a "conversation starter" bill that had already been lambasted as insufficient and backwards. On Tuesday, the MTA finance committee announced that revenues from taxes and fares have plummeted deeper than expected, turning the $1.2 billion doomsday […]

Where Does the Working Families Party Stand on MTA Rescue?

By Ben Fried |
Millions of New York City bus riders are counting on an MTA rescue plan to maintain service and hold fares down. Last week, some of the biggest unions in New York came out in favor of the Ravitch Commission’s MTA rescue plan, including the bridge tolls that a handful of state senators refuse to support. […]

Malcolm Smith Spins Transit Band-aid as Victory for “Reform”

By Ben Fried |
Now that Governor Paterson has backtracked on his pledge to secure a long-term solution to New York’s transit funding crisis, the push is on to spin the slapdash result as a responsible outcome, not a capitulation to Albany’s lowest common denominator. Courtesy of Liz Benjamin, here’s Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith emerging from last night’s […]

Bloomberg: MTA Plan Must Include Funding for Capital Projects

By Ben Fried |
The mayor’s office just released a statement insisting that the MTA financing plan address the transit system’s long-term needs: As discussions for a permanent funding plan for the MTA continue, stop-gap measures that kick the big problems down the road must be rejected. For any plan to truly meet the needs of the metropolitan region’s […]

Doomsday News: MTA Votes, Paterson Plays Chicken, Monserrate Indicted

By Brad Aaron |
Photo: The Daily Politics The MTA’s doomsday scenario came closer to fruition today, as agency board members took a step toward implementing planned fare hikes and service reductions while state lawmakers appeared mired in stalemate. Here are a few tidbits. Newsday filed this report on the MTA Finance Committee meeting (as live-blogged by Second Avenue […]