Leaders Confident on MTA Deal
May 5th, 2009
Gov. David Paterson and Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith seemed confident today that a three-way deal on a Metropolitan Transportation Authority bailout was right around the corner. Paterson was so confident that he told reporters after a leaders meeting earlier today, “I think that we are all in the same basic place and actually enough so that we’re actually contemplating perhaps going a little further.” What exactly does “going a little further” mean?
Paterson just indicated at a press conference about hybrid car batteries that legislators are now discussing increasing the MTA funding from the $1.7 billion in funding in the current Senate plan to about $2 billion.
Jimmy Vielkind of The New York Observer asked Paterson to respond to Assembly Speaker Silver’s assertion earlier in the day that the rescue plan should provide the MTA with around $2 billion. “I think that’s right. If that’s the case, I think that’s entirely accurate, we just have to try to get everybody to vote for it,” Paterson responded.
Paterson declined to say how the other $300 million might be appropriated.”I have my own ideas about that, and the legislature has theirs. And that’s what’s being negotiated,” he said.
Paterson said that he could not go into details because legislators had become annoyed that they learned about new parts of the proposed deal in the press rather than from their chamber’s leader. A vote on the MTA plan could occur tomorrow.
Paterson took the time to joke that Smith might be allowed to drive one of the new fuel efficient vehicles if he delivered a deal on the MTA today.
Earlier, at a briefing on the 2010 Census, Smith excused himself joking that he had to attend to a “small” transportation matter and mayoral control. Smith then paused for a photo shoot and chat with fourth graders from Schenectady on the stairwell of the Legislative Office Building. Smith reminded the children to listen to their parents and then took off down the hall to join Paterson at the press conference on hybrid car batteries.
By David King on May 5, 2009, 2:58 pmIn category: Albany, Eye on Albany, Transportation | No Comments »

