Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Malcolm Smith

State DOT “Multi-Modal Funds” Have Starring Role in Malcolm Smith Scandal

By Stephen Miller | Apr 9, 2013 | 1 Comment

In the wake of a scandal-soaked week in Albany, Governor Cuomo held a press conference this afternoon with district attorneys from across the state to announce a new anti-corruption law. As he seeks to tighten the rules in Albany, Cuomo could take immediate steps to make sure a transportation funding mechanism that featured prominently in […]

Eight Senate Democrats Join GOP in Vote to Repeal MTA Payroll Tax

By Noah Kazis | Jun 16, 2011 | 3 Comments

In a 40-22 vote last night, the State Senate voted to phase out the payroll mobility tax, which generates about $1.5 billion per year for the MTA. The Senate proposal would eliminate the tax entirely in suburban areas while reducing it in New York City. Though the bill is expected to go exactly nowhere in […]

Fare Hike Four to Paterson: Not So Fast

By Brad Aaron | Jul 14, 2009 | 7 Comments

In case you’ve forgotten who’s in charge these days, Governor Paterson’s nomination of Jay Walder to succeed Lee Sander as MTA chief was quickly met with a joint statement from Malcolm Smith, John Sampson, and Fare Hike Four members Pedro Espada and Carl Kruger. In the interest of "transparency and accountability," the senators say they […]

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

By Ben Fried | May 5, 2009 | 9 Comments

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 […]

Malcolm Smith: New York Transportation Policy “Not About the Merits”

By Brad Aaron | Apr 28, 2009 | 4 Comments

Video: Elizabeth Benjamin/The Daily Politics. We were half-kidding last week when we said state legislators were open to taxing anything from pet food to shoelaces as long as they could say they had saved the MTA, and as long as drivers could continue to cross East and Harlem River bridges at no cost. Turns out […]

Time for Working Families Party to Step Up for Riders, Endorse Bridge Tolls

By Ben Fried | Apr 27, 2009 | 4 Comments

WFP director Dan Cantor (center) at a "Halt the Hike" rally last week. Photo: Working Families Party. Here’s another wake-up call for state legislators dithering over a transit funding package: The sinking economy continues to choke off revenues for New York City’s subways and buses. The MTA finance committee announced this afternoon that the agency’s […]

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