New York lawmakers demand subway chief fired after comment dismisses crime issue: ‘In people’s minds’
Representatives from New York called for the firing of the New York City transit system’s governor-appointed chairman amid accusations that he downplayed subway crime to praise new tolls in Manhattan aimed at driving commuters underground.
In comments on a Bloomberg podcast, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber made the claim crime on the MTA declined and that recent virus incidents give the impression of a system-wide security crisis.
“The overall statistics are positive. We were last year [had] actually 12.5% less crime than in 2019. . “, he said.
“But there’s no question that some of these high-profile incidents; horrific attacks, got into people’s heads and made the whole system feel less safe.”
SUBWAY CHAOS PROMPTS CUOM TO SEEK STOPPING NEW NYC DRIVING TAX
Senator Steve Rhoads, at the podium, and members of the New York State Senate are calling for the removal of MTA Chairman Jann Lieber. (official New York Senate GOP photo)
Representative Michael Lawler, RN.Y., he shared a video of Lieber unveiling one of the new “Costs of Congestion” near Lincoln Center and said the agency “needs an enema; starting with Jann Lieber.”
“Imagine being such a fool as to celebrate screwing New Yorkers out of their hard-earned money just for the privilege of driving to work,” Lawler wrote, adding that Hochul “should be defeated in 2026.”
Lieber responded to Lawler, telling MSNBC that the Rockland County lawmaker was engaging in “grievance politics.”
Lieber argued that most of Lawler’s constituents – in sleepy communities 30 miles north of the city – already rely on mass transit and that only “one percent” drive down the Palisades to the “congestion price” zone each day.
MTA President Janno Lieber and New York Governor Kathy Hochul (Getty)
New York’s new $9 toll to enter any part of Manhattan below Central Park has outraged commuters as well as residents within its borders.
Travelers from Long Island found themselves in a bottleneck trying to access the last unchanged entrance to Manhattan – the upper level of the Queensboro Bridge.
An east side exit of a luxury building also inadvertently forced residents through a toll gate, even if they were trying to go uptown; away from the zone, while the outer boroughs braced for a flood of suburbanites looking for parking to avoid the toll.
New York Senate Deputy Minority Leader Andrew Lanza, R-Staten Island, blasted Lieber:
“Janno: pull your head out of the pile of statistics, get off the computer and walk a mile in your drivers’ shoes before you ignore, dismiss and insult them,” Lanza said.
“The people of this state and city deserve the truth and real solutions, not eggheads trying to convince themselves they’re doing a good job.”
Sen. Bill Weber of Valley Cottage added, “Albany Democrats claim that congestion pricing is meant to reduce traffic congestion, but at what cost? It penalizes ordinary people – working parents, firefighters, seniors going to doctor’s appointments and those who can barely make ends meet.”
“For them, this is not just a toll; it’s another obstacle in their daily lives. Tell me, how is that progressive?” he asked.
Sen. Steve Rhoads of Nassau previously joked that the MTA acronym stands for “waste of money” and said this week that his constituents who rely on trains like the LIRR have grown distrustful of the agency.
“[Lieber] he has no idea what it means to be a working-class New Yorker,” Rhoads said. “While affordability and safety are big concerns for real people, they’re abstract concepts to him.”
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MTA President Janno Lieber, Governor Kathleen Hochul and the new toll plazas on 5th Ave. ((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 the World Trade Center project — a transportation adviser to President Bill Clinton and Mayor Ed Koch, and a reporter for the New Republic.
He also served as the MTA’s capital development officer under Governor Andrew Cuomo.
Cuomo, who remains a strong supporter of the congestion pricing plan, recently told Fox News Digital through a spokesperson that he, however, has reservations about whether now is the right time to activate the tolls — given the lack of confidence in subway safety and the changes to the city since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s undeniable that New York is in a dramatically different place today than it was in 2019, and without a study that predicts its consequences based on facts, not politics, it could do more harm than good to New York’s recovery,” the spokesman said. Cuoma. Rich Azzopardi said last week.
State Sen. Alexis Weik, R-Suffolk, called the video of Lieber’s unveiling of the Broadway sign “a despicable display of glee and greed” and called for a financial review board to scrutinize the transportation agency’s books.
In response to a flurry of calls for Lieber’s ouster, MTA policy and external affairs chief John J. McCarthy defended the transit chief.
“Under Chair Lieber’s leadership, the MTA has added service, opened new terminals and delivered record on-time performance for its Long Island and Hudson Valley constituents while delivering the most reliable subway service in a decade,” McCarthy said.
“But apparently none of that stops politicians who are out of touch with fornication.”
