Groups Ask Senate to Hold Robust Confirmation Hearings for MTA Board

Two Nominations Have Been Made By Gov. Hochul
To Be Considered at January 19th Senate Confirmation Hearing

Fourteen groups representing watchdogs and transit and disability advocates wrote to the State Senate last week asking that they conduct robust, public confirmation hearings for the MTA Board nominations. Changes in administration at the state, city and county levels means that there will be a number of nominations coming through the Senate in the coming weeks.

Given the past history of some confirmations being conducted at the last minute with little public notice, the groups asked that a robust confirmation process be used in which Senators can ask detailed questions and consult with stakeholders regarding their perspectives before decisions are made.

The Senate has scheduled confirmation hearings for Wednesday, January 19th at noon for Janno Lieber (MTA Chair/CEO) and Elizabeth Velez (MTA Board)
who were recently nominated by Governor Hochul.

The letter is here and below.

January 12, 2022

Andrea Stewart-Cousins
Majority Leader
New York State Senate

Re: Please Conduct Robust Public Hearings for MTA Board Confirmations

Dear Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins,

We write today to ask you and your colleagues to conduct robust public confirmation hearings for appointees to the MTA.

In the past, some confirmation hearings for the MTA Board, including the important Chair and CEO position, have been conducted with little to no advanced public notice, and during busy periods like the adoption of the state budget. This provided little time for members of the Senate to educate themselves about the candidates and their qualifications before voting to confirm them. On the other hand, some confirmation hearings have been scheduled further in advance by the Senate. This provided the opportunity for members to ask detailed questions about the qualifications of the individuals being nominated and more fully vet and address potential conflicts of interest.

It is expected that a number of MTA Board nominations will be coming to the Senate in the weeks ahead due to changes in state, city and county administration. Governor Hochul has already announced that she is nominating Janno Lieber to become the permanent Chair/CEO, and Elizabeth Velez as a member of the MTA Board to fill a vacancy created by Linda Lacewell’s departure. Additionally, there is currently a vacancy in the position of the MTA Inspector General. These nominations present an opportunity to conduct a robust confirmation process in which Senators can ask detailed questions and consult with stakeholders regarding their perspectives before decisions are made.

As many of our groups wrote to you in February 2019, there are a number of questions that we believe the Senate should seek to have answered during confirmation hearings:

• How do appointees meet the qualifications required under section 1263 of the Public Authorities Law? Examples include experience with transportation, public administration, business management, finance, accounting, law, engineering, land use, urban and regional planning, management of large capital projects, and labor relations.
• How would appointees improve the diversity of the MTA Board, or ensure better representativeness of the MTA’s riders, including but not limited to racial diversity, cultural diversity, disability, age diversity, geographic diversity, sex/gender diversity, sexual orientation, and religious diversity?
• How will appointees fulfill their fiduciary duty to the MTA and public as required by law?
• What, if any, business dealings do appointees have before the state or local governments within the MTA region? What potential conflicts of interest do appointees have that should be considered and may require recusals from voting?
• What commitments will appointees make towards greater transparency and accountability of the MTA, including overseeing implementation of the MTA Open Data Law?
• How will appointees improve the MTA’s compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, the New York State Human Rights Law and the New York City Human Rights Law? What do appointees consider to be some of the major issues concerning accessibility, and how they will support improvement?
• How will appointees work toward the interests of the MTA region as a whole, while maintaining political independence and also be responsive to and representative of their appointing authorities?

We thank you for your consideration of our request.

Sincerely,

John Kaehny
Executive Director
Reinvent Albany

Joseph G. Rappaport
Executive Director
Brooklyn Center for Independence of the Disabled

Jean Ryan
President
Disabled In Action of Metropolitan NY

Gina Barbara
Co-coordinator
Transportation Equity Working Group
Downstate New York ADAPT

Meghan Parker
Director of Advocacy
New York Association on Independent Living

Christopher Schuyler
Senior Staff Attorney, Disability Justice Program
New York Lawyers for the Public Interest

Megan Ahearn
Program Director
NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign

Laura Ladd Bierman
Executive Director
League of Women Voters of New York State

Lisa Daglian
Executive Director
Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC)

Jessica Murray
Organizer
Rise and Resist Elevator Action Group

Danny Pearlstein
Policy & Communications Director
Riders Alliance

Eric McClure
Executive Director
StreetsPAC

Danny Harris
Executive Director
Transportation Alternatives

Renae Reynolds
Executive Director
Tri-State Transportation Campaign

Cc.
Senator Liz Krueger, Chair, Finance Committee
Senator Leroy Comrie, Chair, Corporations, Authorities and Commissions Committee
Senator Timothy Kennedy, Chair, Transportation Committee
All Members of the State Senate