Governor Seats Commission To Address MTA Shortfall

Governor Paterson's 12-member commission charged with devising strategies to fund the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's capital plan includes the CEO of Consolidated Edison, one of New York's top private developers, and a mix of public and private experts on transportation and finance.

The MTA's capital plan has a shortfall of somewhere between $11 billion and $13.5 billion and the commission announced yesterday, headed by a former chairman of the MTA, Richard Ravitch, will likely consider a combination of increases in taxes and fees.

"This Commission will help ensure that the MTA has the resources it needs to expand and maintain a mass transit system that can increase regional prosperity while also curbing sprawl, reducing traffic congestion and improving the environment," Mr. Paterson said in a statement yesterday.

The members of the commission include the executive director and CEO of the MTA, Elliot Sander; the state budget director, Laura Anglin; the director of the New York City Office of Management and Budget, Mark Page; the president of the New York State AFL-CIO, Denis Hughes; the president of Fordham University, Father Joseph McShane; the chairman of National Grid, U.S., Robert Catell; the head of the transportation group at Banc of America Securities, Kim Paparello Vaccari; a partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, Steven Polan; the director of the climate and air program for the Environmental Defense Fund, Peter Goldmark; the developer Douglas Durst; a consultant for urban transportation construction projects, Mysore Nagaraja, and the chairman of the board of Con Edison, Kevin Burke.