New York lawmakers called for the resignation of New York City’s governor-appointed chairman of transit amid accusations that he downplayed a subway crime wave to tout new Manhattan tolls aimed at pushing commuters underground to conduct.
In comments on a Bloomberg podcast, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber argued as much crime on the MTA has decreased and that the recent viral incidents give the impression of a system-wide security crisis.
‘The general statistics are positive. Last year we actually had 12.5% less crime than in 2019…,” he said.
“But there’s no doubt that some of these high-profile incidents, terrible attacks, have gotten into people’s minds and made the whole system feel less safe.”
SUBWAY MAYHEM ENCOURAGES CUOMO TO STOP DRIVING TAX IN NEW NYC
Senator Steve Rhoads, on stage, and members of the New York State Senate call for the ouster of MTA Chairman Janno Lieber. (official photo of the NYS Senate GOP)
Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., shared a clip of Lieber he ceremoniously unveiled one of the new “Congestion Pricing” setups near Lincoln Center and said the agency “needs an enema; starting with Janno Lieber.”
“Imagine being such an asshole that you celebrate cheating New Yorkers out of their hard-earned money just for the privilege of driving to work,” Lawler wrote. and adds Hochul “must be defeated in 2026.”
Lieber ripped Lawler in response, telling MSNBC that the Rockland County lawmaker was engaging in “grievance politics.”
Lieber claimed that a large number of Lawler residents — in bedroom communities 30 miles north of the city — already rely on public transportation, with only “one percent” making the daily drive through the Palisades into the “congestion-pricing” zone .
HOCHUL CHRISTMAS TIME BOAST OF SAFER METROS ARRIVED AMID SERIES OF ALARMING VIOLENT ATTACKS
MTA Chairman Janno Lieber and New York Governor Kathy Hochul (Getty)
New York’s new $9 toll to access any part of Manhattan below Central Park has enraged commuters and residents within its borders alike.
Long Island commuters ran into trouble trying to access the last untouched entry into Manhattan: the upper level of the Queensboro Bridge.
The exit from a luxury building on the East Side also unintentionally forced residents through a toll gate even as they attempted to enter the city; away from the zone, as the suburbs braced for a flood of suburban residents looking for a parking spot to avoid the toll.
New York Senate Deputy Minority Leader Andrew Lanza, R-Staten Island, fired Lieber:
“Janno: get your head out of your piles of statistics, get out from behind your computer and walk a mile in the shoes of your riders before you ignore, dismiss and insult them,” said Lanza.
“The people of this state and city deserve the truth and real solutions, not the jerks trying to convince themselves they are doing a good job.”
Senator Bill Weber of Valley Cottage added: “Albania’s Democrats claim that congestion pricing is intended to reduce traffic congestion, but at what cost? It punishes everyday people – working parents, firefighters, seniors going to doctor’s appointments and those already struggling to make ends meet. meet.”
“For them, this isn’t just a toll; it’s a new obstacle in their daily lives. Tell me, how is that progressive?” he asked.
Sen. Steve Rhoads of Nassau previously joked that the MTA’s acronym stands for “Money Thrown Away” and said this week that his constituents who rely on trains like the LIRR have become distrustful of the agency.
“(Lieber) has no idea what it is to be a working-class New Yorker,” Rhoads said. “While affordability and safety are major concerns for real people, for him they are abstract concepts.”
CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
MTA Chairman Janno Lieber, Governor Kathleen Hochul and the new 5th Ave toll gates. ((Luiz C Ribeiro/Gardiner Anderson/Theodore Parisienne for New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images.)
Lieber was previously an executive at Silverstein Properties — most recently overseeing a World Trade Center project — a transportation adviser to President Bill Clinton and Mayor Ed Koch, and a journalist for the New Republic.
He also served as the MTA’s capital development officer under Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Cuomo, who continues to strongly support the congestion pricing plan, recently told Fox News Digital through a spokesperson that he, however, has reservations about whether this is the right time to implement the toll – given the lack of confidence in the safety of the metro and the changes in the city since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“There is no denying that New York is in a dramatically different place today than it was in 2019, and without a study predicting its consequences based on facts and not politics, it could do more harm than good to the recovery of New York City,” said Cuomo spokesperson. Rich Azzopardi said last week.
State Sen. Alexis Weik, R-Suffolk, called the video of Lieber’s Broadway unveiling “a despicable show of glee and greed” and called for a financial review board to scrutinize the transportation agency’s books.
In response to the many calls for Lieber’s ouster, John J. McCarthy, the MTA’s chief of policy and external relations, defended the transit boss.
“Under Chairman Lieber’s leadership, the MTA has added service, opened new terminals and delivered record on-time performance to their constituents on Long Island and the Hudson Valley while delivering the most reliable subway service in twelve years,” said McCarthy.
“But apparently none of this prevents out-of-touch politicians from flourishing.”
