Congestion Pricing Commission Members Named

The majority of elected officials and city leaders named yesterday to serve on a 17-member congestion pricing commission, which will decide the fate of a road fee in New York, have expressed support for Mayor Bloomberg's proposal to charge drivers to enter Manhattan.

Mr. Bloomberg yesterday named the chief attorney for the Straphangers Campaign, Gene Russianoff; the city's transportation commissioner, Janette Sadik-Kahn, and a civil rights attorney, Elizabeth Yeampierre, to serve on the commission.

Governor Spitzer named the executive vice president of the Extell Development Company, Marc Shaw; the executive director of the Port Authority, Anthony Shorris, and the executive director of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Elliot Sander.

The speaker of the state Assembly, Sheldon Silver, appointed Assemlyman Herman Farrell; Assemblywoman Vivian Cook, and Assemblyman Richard Brodsky. The leader of the Senate majority, Joseph Bruno, appointed the president of the New York City Central Labor Council, Gary La-Barbera; the chairman of the State University of New York, Thomas Egan, and the president of the Nassau County Council Chamber of Commerce, Richard Bivone.

The speaker of the City Council, Christine Quinn, named the president of the Partnership for New York City, Kathryn Wylde; the executive director of the Drum Major Institute, Andrea Batista Schlesinger, and the Reverend Edwin Reed to the commission. The project director of Arverne By the Sea, Gerard Romski and the regional director of Environmental Defense, Andrew Darrell, were also named. The commission has until March to hand over its recommendation to the State Legislature and the City Council.