Quinn Chooses 3 for Congestion Pricing Commission

The Speaker of the City Council, Christine Quinn, has chosen three non-elected officials to sit on the 17-member congestion pricing commission, council sources said. The CEO and president of the Partnership for New York City, Kathryn Wylde, the executive director of the Drum Major Institute, Andrea Batista Schlesinger, and Reverend Edwin Reed of Queens are expected to be announced this week. Ms. Wylde has been one of the most vocal advocates of congestion pricing. The Drum Major Institute also supports the plan.

The commission has until March to recommend to the state legislature either Mayor Bloomberg's proposal to charge drivers $8 to enter Manhattan south of 86th Street, or an alternative plan that would also reduce traffic by 6.5%. The regional director of Environmental Defense, Andrew Darrell, was also appointed yesterday to the commission by the Assembly minority leader, James Tedisco. The speaker of the Assembly, Sheldon Silver, who opposes Mr. Bloomberg's plan, is expected to appoint three Assembly Democrats to the commission this week.