NY MTA directors fight over surrender of free transponders and subway passes

The New York Times is reporting a revolt by directors of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), the transit and toll conglomerate that lives off toll revenues from the city's nine bridges and tunnels. May 28 the MTA board decided to go to court to preserve the perk long granted to present and former MTA directors that allows them unlimited use of free E-ZPass transponders for car travel and free MetroCard passes for subway, bus and commuter rail travel.

State attorney-general Andrew Cuomo had demanded the surrender of the transponders and transit passes saying they are illegal, because of statutes which outlaw "compensation" for directors of state entities. Cuomo has also been cracking down on state agencies paying health insurance premiums for directors, contrary to law.

The free E-ZPass and transit pass issue seemed to have died at the end of last month when MTA chairman Dale Hemmerdinger issued a statement that the MTA would, after all, not go to court over the issue and that directors were losing their free pass privileges.

The New York Times reports this morning that there's a revolt on the board and quotes vice-chairman David Mack as saying Hemmerdinger's move will be voted down at the next board meeting.

Mack says the directors need to be encouraged to travel the system they are supervising so they can offer informed comments about it. Mack says that Cuomo is using the issue as a political soap box, appealing to populism.

The attorney-general's office says now that the chairman and chief executive Elliot Sander have acknowledged the illegality of the free passes for directors any who defy the leadership will be prosecuted because "no one is above the law."

TOLLROADSnews 2008-06-19