Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
"We're Nobody's Rubber Stamp": Governor's MTA Leadership Shake-Up Rejected by Albany Lawmakers
By
Stephen Nessen
Published Jun 10, 2021
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 .
Ron Adar/SOPA Images/Shutterstock
By
Stephen Nessen
Published Jun 10, 2021
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
A day after Governor Andrew Cuomo announced plans to split the top executive job at the MTA, state lawmakers who must approve the changes rejected the bill, refusing to bring it to the floor for a vote.
If passed, the bill would have allowed the governor to appoint the MTA’s CEO without Senate approval.
“We’re nobody's rubber stamp,” State Senator Michale Gianaris said. “Given that the MTA’s upper brass has been heavily politicized the last several months, attacking the governor’s political opponents, consolidating even more power over the agency with a very short amount of time to review and comment on any proposal is not something we’re interested in.”
State Senator Diane Savino, who introduced the bill, said there wasn’t enough support among her fellow lawmakers to bring it to a vote.
“There was concern over reversing the decision made in 2000 to separate the two positions and consolidating power and objections from Unions,” she wrote in a statement.
Savino said concerns about the bill came from the Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation Division (SMART), which represents Long Island Railroad workers.
Letting the governor pick the CEO of the MTA didn’t sit well with John Samuelsen, President of the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and an MTA board member.
“We view that as problematic and not in the interest of transit workers or anybody employed by the MTA,” Samuelsen said.
Under the governor’s proposal, the current interim President of New York City Transit, Sarah Feinberg, would become a chair of the MTA board, an unpaid position. The current head of construction at the MTA, Janno Lieber, would have assumed the role of CEO, reporting directly to the governor. The current MTA Chairman and CEO, Pat Foye, was to leave on July 30th to become Interim President and CEO of Empire State Development, New York’s economic development agency.
Now, all those plans are in flux, and the fate of Feinberg, Lieber, and Foye is unclear. The MTA did not respond to questions about the bill or who will be in charge of the top leadership positions at the MTA.
“This bill was neither in the Legislature's best interest nor the public's, as it was both bad policy and process,” Rachael Fauss, with the good government group Reinvent Albany, wrote in a statement. “The Legislature rightfully should reject last-minute, backroom power grabs from the Governor than limit their oversight authority.”
MTA Board member Bob Linn, who is one of four city representatives on the board, supported the governor’s attempt to make Lieber the CEO.
“I understand the concern over splitting the job into two positions. I do believe Janno would’ve been excellent as a CEO and should’ve been given every opportunity to succeed,” Linn said.
“It’s a serious problem who should be selected to be both the CEO and the Chairman of the board. I think, for instance, Andy Byford would be a spectacular choice for that job.”
Byford, who was head of subways and buses until February 2020, was pushed out by Governor Cuomo, and now holds the top position at Transport for London in his home country.
Board member Linn said he hopes the MTA conducts a global search for a recognized transportation expert to head up the authority.
This is the last week legislators in Albany will be voting on bills before they go on break. In past years, Cuomo has been there pushing bills he supports. On Wednesday, the governor spoke at the Tribeca Film festival in Manhattan, and held a ribbon cutting for a new pier behind the Javits Center.
Tagged
sarah feinberg
Governor Andrew Cuomo
we the commuters
pat foye
Janno Lieber
subway
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
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
US judge in NY indefinitely blocks ICE from making arrests at immigration courthouses
The judge said a Trump rule change lifting restrictions on such arrests violated administrative procedure law.
By
Arya Sundaram
Published Oct 1, 2026 at 5:47 p.m. ET
Lawyer challenging NYC rent freeze releases Mamdani officials’ emails and text messages
A judge had ordered officials to turn over correspondence with the Rent Guidelines Board. Randy Mastro has now asked the court to make them sit for interviews.
By
David Brand
News
Lawyer challenging NYC rent freeze releases Mamdani officials’ emails and text messages
A judge had ordered officials to turn over correspondence with the Rent Guidelines Board. Randy Mastro has now asked the court to make them sit for interviews.
By
David Brand
Push to strengthen NY sexual assault laws gathers steam after Cornell rape allegations
By
Walter Wuthmann
and
Jon Campbell
NYC mulls building temporary highway in sky over Brooklyn Bridge to fix BQE
By
Liam Quigley
and
Carol Chen
The most expensive congressional race in NJ history? This could be the one.
By
Mike Hayes
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 .