By Neysa Pranger, Public Affairs Director, RPA
The state took a step in the right direction last week when it selected Long Island Rail Road president Helena Williams to be interim chief executive of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, even as her selection underscored the difficulties and challenges that lay ahead for the nation's largest transit system.
Williams comes in after Governor David Paterson ousted the current CEO and executive director, Elliot "Lee" Sander, immediately after the state legislature finally came through with an improved funding package for the MTA.
While the funding package was vital, the departure of Sander, a seasoned transit executive, could not come at a worse time. The agency needs a leader with both vision and bureaucratic skills to meet its various challenges.
The good thing about Williams is that she has ample quantities of both. She is not a politician, or a political contributor. She is a transit executive. Previously she led Long Island Bus, and she has been president of LIRR since 2007.
How long she will stay as MTA chief executive is anyone's guess. Even though her appointment is only interim, it is not a stretch to assume she could be in the seat for longer than expected. The governor has said a national and international search will be conducted for a permanent replacement, but it may be hard to find a professional appointee from another system for what could be only a year-long job since Governor Paterson is up for re-election in 2010.
Other factors that may discourage applicants are the circumstances under which Lee Sander exited and the fact that the governor will need to tightly manage the agency heading into an election year. Trying to run the MTA during the active part of the election cycle can be tricky, especially if the state is broke and unable to provide one-shots to stave off politically unpopular fare increases and since it's a good bet the governor will mandate just that - absolutely no fare hikes or service cuts next year - but without any additional help from the state, as has been done in the past.
This could leave the MTA in a terrible bind. If the economy and thus revenues continue to decline, the MTA may have it's hands tied as it is legally bound to balance its budget. This could mean unpleasant decisions on the MTA's capital (and in many ways less physically visible) side of its balance sheet. Exacerbating the problem is the MTA recently got only half a loaf in Albany with regards to the capital plan and still faces long challenges in funding maintenance and expansion plans.
Williams should handle these challenges as well as anyone. She has a keen sense of politics honed in the jungle of Long Island politics and has shown she has an excellent sense of the transit system's needs.
But, the jury will remain out until all the capital and operating needs of the system can be met - a difficult challenge given the political waters of the coming year. Ultimately, the true responsibility rests not just with the next leader of the MTA but also with the public and the politicians who must generate the civic will to make this happen. Given that, a skilled and able MTA chief executive, whatever his or her name, should play a key role in building that consensus as well.
The state took a step in the right direction last week when it selected Long Island Rail Road president Helena Williams to be interim chief executive of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, even as her selection underscored the difficulties and challenges that lay ahead for the nation's largest transit system.
Williams comes in after Governor David Paterson ousted the current CEO and executive director, Elliot "Lee" Sander, immediately after the state legislature finally came through with an improved funding package for the MTA.
While the funding package was vital, the departure of Sander, a seasoned transit executive, could not come at a worse time. The agency needs a leader with both vision and bureaucratic skills to meet its various challenges.
The good thing about Williams is that she has ample quantities of both. She is not a politician, or a political contributor. She is a transit executive. Previously she led Long Island Bus, and she has been president of LIRR since 2007.
How long she will stay as MTA chief executive is anyone's guess. Even though her appointment is only interim, it is not a stretch to assume she could be in the seat for longer than expected. The governor has said a national and international search will be conducted for a permanent replacement, but it may be hard to find a professional appointee from another system for what could be only a year-long job since Governor Paterson is up for re-election in 2010.
Other factors that may discourage applicants are the circumstances under which Lee Sander exited and the fact that the governor will need to tightly manage the agency heading into an election year. Trying to run the MTA during the active part of the election cycle can be tricky, especially if the state is broke and unable to provide one-shots to stave off politically unpopular fare increases and since it's a good bet the governor will mandate just that - absolutely no fare hikes or service cuts next year - but without any additional help from the state, as has been done in the past.
This could leave the MTA in a terrible bind. If the economy and thus revenues continue to decline, the MTA may have it's hands tied as it is legally bound to balance its budget. This could mean unpleasant decisions on the MTA's capital (and in many ways less physically visible) side of its balance sheet. Exacerbating the problem is the MTA recently got only half a loaf in Albany with regards to the capital plan and still faces long challenges in funding maintenance and expansion plans.
Williams should handle these challenges as well as anyone. She has a keen sense of politics honed in the jungle of Long Island politics and has shown she has an excellent sense of the transit system's needs.
But, the jury will remain out until all the capital and operating needs of the system can be met - a difficult challenge given the political waters of the coming year. Ultimately, the true responsibility rests not just with the next leader of the MTA but also with the public and the politicians who must generate the civic will to make this happen. Given that, a skilled and able MTA chief executive, whatever his or her name, should play a key role in building that consensus as well.
@RegionalPlan