Sander meets with straphangers at Grand Central Station on Friday. (Jefferson Siegel)
amNewYork freelance photographer Jefferson Siegel covered MTA CEO Elliot Sander's appearance Friday at the shuttle terminal at Grand Central. With public hearings on the proposed transit hike scheduled to begin this week, the agency is stepping its outreach into overdrive. Jefferson filed this report, including a transcript of a Q&A with Sander:
As Sander spent a half hour handing out fliers, he was completely unrecognized by people getting on and off the shuttle train. When he introduced himself to one woman, she asked about a job, and he called an aide over to talk with her. One man walking by bumped him pretty hard and he took it in stride. Several people walked by without taking the proffered fliers.
Afterwards he held a five-minute presser:
Q: What are you hoping to accomplish by coming to the shuttle?
A: What I want to do is bring out to the public the fact that we're doing our workshop and we're doing our public hearings over the next several weeks and we're looking forward to the public engaging in that process.
Q: As far as the public attending these hearings about the proposed increases, does it really make any difference; is it an exercise in futility as far as the public goes, like a done deal?
A: Absolutely not. In fact, in terms of our fare proposal we have two options. So it's extremely important that we get the input from the public as to which of those two they prefer and we are genuinely asking the public for their feedback on the various different parts of the proposals.
Q: What did people tell you today?
A: I have not had a lot of feedback as I've given them (the fliers) out.
It's Friday afternoon and people look like they're in a rush for the weekend.
Q: This morning in Rockland County did you hear much?
A: Well, Rockland County there was a lot of very positive feedback. We have put on an extraordinary amount of new service and impovements on the Pascack Valley Line and so a lot of feedback and a lot of appreciation. There's been double the service out west of the Hudson on the Pascack and that's a big deal in terms of the growth of Rockland County.
Q: (unintelligible)
A: Not yet. I imagine when the hearings begin next Monday, and also when we do our workshop on the 17th, that there will be a lot of feedback from the public. I don't expect that the public is going to say, "We are thrilled that you are increasing our fares and tolls," no one wants to have the cost of anything go up, whether it's milk, a bagel or public transportation. But in the case of fares we actually have two options on the table and we think it's important to engage the public, to explain our point of view, why we think, in addition to more state aid from Albany, in addition to the administrative efficiencies that we're doing at the MTA, the contribution from labor, why it's important to increase the fares and tolls from our perspective, but there are a menu of options, so it's important also to get the feedback on those.
Q: Is there a third option that might come out of the hearing?
A: Yes, one of the reasons why we had a very large envelope in terms of the alternative was to have the legal ability to pick within the range of the dollars involved in the proposal. So, yes, it is possible, within the dollars that we represented that the range for the increase that we could go to, to an alternative. We had to show the minimum and the maximum.
Q: Is it safe to say, as far as you're concerned, the options are, differences among the proposals to raise the fares, but not to raise the fares, is that an option at all?
A: Well, I think it is fair to say that that is an option. There are certainly some options on the table. I've stated my point of view and I've presented the financial plan that, unless there was a dramatic change, such as our revenue picture, such as changes in Albany, that we would consider or not. My point of view, as I've expressed over the past several weeks, with the worsening of the economy in Albany, with congestion pricing, the proposal for congestion pricing, as a very new important revenue for capacity expansion, that I think it's prudent for us to keep fares and tolls, to supplement what we get from Albany and other sources.
Q: What can you say about the difference of opinion between yourself and the mayor in regards to the transit union dues checkoffs?
A: Well, I respect the mayor's position and I can understand New Yorkers were severely inconvenienced by the strike that the union should be punished. My perspective is, you also have to balance that against the point that they have had a significant punishment and they have made some acknowledgment of the Taylor Law. Not as much , perhaps, as they might, as the mayor would like to see. But the union has acted extremely cooperatively over the last 10 months and when you look at the law, you know, this is an appropriate compromise.
