Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Mayor Adams opts to personally serve on MTA board overseeing $55 billion plan
By
Stephen Nessen
and
Jon Campbell
Published Feb 18, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
By
Stephen Nessen
and
Jon Campbell
Published Feb 18, 2023
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
The “Get Stuff Done Mayor” has quietly added oversight of the MTA’s $55 billion construction budget to his to-do list.
Mayor Eric Adams has fulfilled a wish of transit advocates by appointing himself to an obscure MTA board with sweeping authority over the agency’s capital plan to expand and improve service, documents obtained by Gothamist reveal.
The Capital Program Review Board comprises four voting members from the offices of the governor, the state senate majority leader, the state assembly majority leader, and City Hall respectively. Each member has veto power. Since at least 2019, good government groups have said the board should be more transparent, and called for the mayor and governor themselves to serve directly, rather than simply appointing delegates.
“The body was set up to provide accountability and transparency of the capital plan of the MTA. So the mayor nominating himself to serve actually shows that this is important. Spending billions of dollars on MTA projects is an important issue to the mayor,” Rachael Fauss, senior policy analyst at Reinvent Albany, told Gothamist. “It shows a commitment and it shows a willingness to bring more attention to MTA spending, which is absolutely needed.”
Adams’ self-appointment on July 20, 2022 emerged thanks to a Freedom of Information Law request. Shortly after Adams made the move, an amendment to the capital plan adding $1 billion was approved automatically because none of the review board members intervened.
"Mayor Adams has been clear that we must do what’s best for riders and put forward a fair and sustainable proposal to fund the MTA,” a City Hall spokesperson said in a statement. “We have continued to use all oversight avenues available — including through the mayor’s role on the Capital Program Review Board and the city’s representatives on the MTA board – to ensure that New York City gets its fair share of critical capital improvements and that the MTA is providing the best service in the most financially responsible way possible.”
The board was created in the early 1980s by then-MTA Chairman Richard Ravitch, who was rebuilding the MTA and formalizing the capital planning process.
The board was under little scrutiny until 2019, when then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo used it to needle then-Mayor Bill de Blasio amid the rollout of the MTA’s largest-ever capital plan – which was then $50 billion. The MTA asked the city to increase its contribution from $2 billion to $3 billion.
Cuomo insisted he and de Blasio appoint themselves, rather than send representatives to the board.
De Blasio refused to join. His office said it had already provided extensive input on the plan. Ultimately, the board never met and the MTA’s capital plan passed without a vote.
Coincidentally, news of Adams’ decision to appoint himself to the board emerged as he and Gov. Kathy Hochul are at odds over a smaller contribution from city taxpayers to the MTA.
The governor is asking the city to chip in $500 million to the MTA’s operating budget to cover lost fare revenue.
Adams has balked at the request, citing the city’s budget woes as federal stimulus money dries up.
The MTA’s next capital plan must be approved by the end of 2024, and may include projects like the IBX.
Tagged
new york city
transportation
Stephen Nessen
Stephen Nessen covers transportation. Since 2008 he has reported on everything from Occupy Wall Street, the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, Hurricane Sandy, to Trump’s campaign for president. His transportation reporting has taken him everywhere from the MTA’s secret Rail Control Center to the gleaming subways of Seoul. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
Read more
Jon Campbell
Jon Campbell covers the New York State Capitol for WNYC and Gothamist. Prior to that, he covered the Capitol for more than a decade for the USA TODAY Network. He has twice earned the Walter T. Brown Memorial Award, an honor given annually by the Legislative Correspondents Association alumni for outstanding state government coverage. Jon grew up in the Buffalo area and graduated from the University at Albany. Got a tip? Email Jon at [email protected] or Signal at JonCampbellNY.90.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
DSA to Mamdani: Fire NYPD commissioner if ICE doesn't leave NYC
The DSA's NYC chapter accused the NYPD of collaborating with ICE and demanded Mayor Mamdani hold Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch responsible.
By
Elizabeth Kim
,
Brigid Bergin
and
Ben Feuerherd
Published Oct 9, 2026 at 6:31 p.m. ET
Two people killed in Bronx vehicle crash
When officers arrived on the scene in Allerton Friday afternoon, they found three pedestrians who were unconscious with trauma to the head and body, according to the NYPD. Two individuals later died.
By
Kaya Laterman
News
Two people killed in Bronx vehicle crash
When officers arrived on the scene in Allerton Friday afternoon, they found three pedestrians who were unconscious with trauma to the head and body, according to the NYPD. Two individuals later died.
By
Kaya Laterman
NY will opt in Trump’s school choice program, Hochul says
By
Jon Campbell
Residents, lawmakers warned for months of potential for deadly ICE activity in Marble Hill
By
David Brand
Manhattan DA argues judge shouldn't dismiss state charges against Luigi Mangione
By
Samantha Max
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .