Now Bloomberg pulls out the “you can’t waste the Federal money card” at the last minute of the Assembly session. New York politicians have been down that road and know they are being played. The real question is how the public perceives this play after the media frenzy takes them on.

It turns out that this Federal money is not a quid pro quo for congestion pricing at all, just that CP would conceivably qualify New York for a shot at these, what are in effect, grants. My feeling is that if we get that money that will weaken our claim to gas tax revenues. And, as I understand his position, that is Weiner’s point as well (he used to sit on the transportation committee and has been involved in the fight for more Federal Transportation dollars for a long time, making it all the more ironic that he is in this case leading the charge against the Mayor’s program (same can be said of Brodsky on the state level)). The “donor states” will simply grab more of that money when the time comes to make up for the grant.

I, for one, will be watching the distributions closely even after CP goes down, the gas tax is the only tax where NY gets back more from the Feds than it puts in on a per capita basis.

The argument really is that simple. Why do most people insist on receiving a large tax return every spring rather than just save the money in their own savings account throughout the year? Legislatures act no different. Money, regardless of its source, is easier to manage when it comes in lump sums rather than a slow trickle. The problem with the slow trickle is that one never knows what other “necessary” expenditures will arise over time. So, although I have yet to hear of such a reduction in gas tax distirubtion as a result of federal funding, if such a scheme were in fact true, it still seems reasonable to make a serious effort to attain the $500 million in federal funding. It is somewhat more difficult to convince the public that mass transportation will be improved with future gas tax revenues (according to Niccolo this is where this $500 million would come from) compared to holding up a $500 million check from Washington.

It’s easy to blame the Assembly, and they are always a ripe target. But don’t forget a mayor whose aides claim he’s ready for the presidency: he introduced his plan late in the session; he didn’t bother to take his argument out to the boroughs; he arrogantly believed that all the legislators would immediately buy his point of view (and did not send skilled negotiators to Albany to convince them); he presented a plan that, while many of us may support it, has at the very least some unanswered questions.

So much for the master politician. But maybe he got what he wanted. He’s on the cover of Newsweek (or was it Time) as Mr. Green (not that Mr. Green) and can boost his attempt to buy the presidency.

His missteps may have killed the idea for good. But I hope not. Time to regroup, or it soon may be, at least.

Also, those transportation captial improvements were sold to the citizenry last time with the Transportation Bond Act. How many times can you go back to the voters with the same threat/promise before someone takes advantage (Brodsky, Weiner, Weprin)?

The Transportation Bond act borrowed the money; congestion pricing should be used to pay it back.

Why is it now or never? Bloomberg isn’t going anywhere yet. Is “now or never” supposed to make everyone overlook the fact that many of the details for CP haven’t been hammered out?

NOW OR NEVER.

Sheldon Silver District Office: 212-312-1420