Comments on: On the Campaign Trail, Silver Blames MTA for Pricing Debacle

By: momos

momos — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 15:43:48 +0000

Niccolo & Rubarb, you're absoloutely right. As disappointing as Shelly's lack of leadership was, he didn't have much to gain from pushing CP except for being right in principle.

Meanwhile, the Bloomberg Admin did a horrible job selling CP to the public. For that matter, the activist groups were quite disappointing as well. The Campaign for New York's Future failed to mobilize public opinion (which polling revealed had potential, when New Yorkers understood how CP revenue was to be used) and generally kept a low profile.

By: Rhubarbpie

Rhubarbpie — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 11:44:00 +0000

Niccolo's got it right. I'm willing to accept that the Assembly acted badly, but the conceit that the mayor, along with the MTA (by not holding off on its fare hike and proposing service enhancements, then withdrawing them before the vote) are blameless is just not credible.

By: gecko

gecko — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 10:00:09 +0000

The "most efficient means to meet the Bloomberg administration's goal of reducing the city’s carbon emissions by 30 percent over the next two decades" is broad implementation of human-powered transport such as bicycles and small light hybrid human-electric vehicles less than 100 pounds with zero emissions and zero to near net-zero energy usage.

Congestion pricing is only a baby step and may even be a distraction.

Proper transport and transit design is the both the short and long-term solution. This city is hamstrung without it.

By: Niccolo Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:11:47 +0000

To try to rise briefly above the ad hominem attack it needs to be said that Mr. Silver holds a very important position in New York politics. To remain Speaker of the Assembly for so many years he has been forced into many compromising positions. Thats what legislative leadership is. While I, like you, wish he had brought it to a vote, there was nothing practically or politically that compelled him to do so. That was the situation he found himself in. He wasn't alone in placing himself in that position. A "my way or the highway" Mayor made it all possible with a political ear tinned to the needs of others, his idle threats of drop-dead dates that endlessly receded. The Mayor painted a picture of transportation emergency that I happened to agree with, but he followed it up with nothing. If the MTA funding crisis was such an emergency what has he done since to lift it? Are the children still not suffering from asthma? There is plenty of blame to go around. Shelly is not the only one who prefers to wait until after the next election.

By: rex

rex — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 22:57:22 +0000

Silver appears to be a civil cretin. He seems to spend all of his efforts maintaining his power rather than leading. What's the matter Shelly, no ideas ever come your way? From my view, he scuttled CP so he would not have to record an opinion, or perhaps he is just jealous of Bloomberg?

By: Larry Littlefield

Larry Littlefield — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:15:31 +0000

"Once the Ravitch Commission releases its recommendations after the election, Silver says, 'you’ll see this start to get straightened out.'"

Why is this man smiling? Because those who matter have been sucking money off the top for 15 years.

Now there isn't enough to go around, and the only goal is to make sure everyone is confused as to whom to blame for the consequences, and that no one connects the dots between past favors and future harm.

By: fdr

fdr — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:45:25 +0000

It doesn't matter if Silver says he's for congestion pricing if he continues his strategy of refusing to bring it to a vote because he says his members are overwhelmingly opposed to it. Maybe he plans to let the Ravitch Commission propose it and blame it on them. That way he protects his members who are afraid to vote for it, while protecting himself against pro-CP voters in his own district.
If Ravitch proposes CP after the election, it will become a hot issue in the mayoral election, so the spotlight will be on Weiner more than on Silver.

By: Cap'n Transit

Cap'n Transit — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 18:43:24 +0000

Got that? It's the chronically underfunded agency, not the lawmaking bodies lording over it, that lacks credibility.

It's true that the primary duty of the Assembly is to make laws, but in this case the powers that allow Silver to "lord it over" the MTA are its budgetary power and its regulatory power (through the Public Authorities Control Board).

By: Cap'n Transit

Cap'n Transit — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 17:55:00 +0000

And he's not the only city politician with this problem-- we really need to clean house.

Agreed. But until we can do that, if we can get congestion pricing passed by allowing him and Jeff Dinowitz and every other anti-pricing assemblyman to pretend they were for it all along, it's worth it, right?

By: Susan Donovan

Susan Donovan — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:55:19 +0000

He is the embodiment of everything that is wrong with city politics-- cynical, back-room dealing, and only concerned with appearances rather than what's good for the people of his city. Silver is quick to say whatever he thinks will keep people happy-- but, what has he done? Where is the leadership?

And he's not the only city politician with this problem-- we really need to clean house.

By: Jeffrey Hymen

Jeffrey Hymen — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 16:01:56 +0000

"Once the Ravitch Commission releases its recommendations after the election, Silver says, 'you’ll see this start to get straightened out.' What that means is anyone's guess." Okay, I'll translate: releasing the Ravitch report after elections will give me a second shot at opposing congestion pricing without me paying any political price.