LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

Lhota must pay attention to MTA

Posted

To the editor:

Are there enough hours in the day for Metropolitan Transportation Authority chairman Joe Lhota to deliver for commuters?

The good news is no doubt that as MTA chair and chief executive between November 2011 and December 2012, he did a great job bringing MTA transportation back from the damages brought by Hurricane Sandy.

Lhota’s previous experiences at the MTA and at city hall serving as city finance commissioner, budget and management office director, and deputy mayor for operations under then mayor Rudy Giuliani, positioned him to hit the ground running. 

The bad news is that he continues to retain positions as a senior vice president of NYU Langone Medical Center and at Madison Square Garden.

Now more than ever, his MTA assignment is a full-time job well beyond the standard 9-to-5 hours most New Yorkers work. Lhota can’t serve multiple employers at the same time without avoiding potential conflicts of interest.

Transit riders, taxpayers, transit advocates and elected officials can accept no less. They need a full-time 24/7 MTA chair.

Larry Penner

Larry Penner

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