Bloomberg Endorses Transport Bond
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Mayor Bloomberg yesterday endorsed the Transportation Bond Act, Proposal 2 on the November ballot, which would bring New York City $2.9 billion in transportation funds.
The mayor’s announcement of his support for the proposal came on the same day he spoke out for the first time against another Proposal 1, which would take away power from the governor in the budget process.
Calling Proposal 1 an “ill-considered piece of legislation,”Mr.Bloomberg said, “We need a strong governor in Albany. This is really a power grab by the Legislature.”
Less than an hour later, the mayor appeared at a rally in Lower Manhattan, where he joined business, labor, and civic leaders who are urging New Yorkers to approve Proposal 2.
“Bond acts and infrastructure spending aren’t glamorous issues, but if we’re going to make sure that New York has a future,we’ve got to invest in projects like the third water tunnel,like maintenance and upkeep of our streets and bridges, and transportation improvements like the ones we’re talking about today, and that means that this November 8, three weeks from today, we’ve got to all vote yes for Proposition 2,” he told the crowd of clapping, hooting carpenters.
The mayor was the only one at the rally expressing his support for the ballot proposal for the first time.
He stood with the president and CEO of the Partnership for New York City, Kathryn Wylde,the Transportation Commissioner, Iris Weinshall, the senior lawyer at the Straphangers Campaign, Gene Russianoff, the president of the Regional Plan Association, Robert Yaro, as well as the president of the Building and Construction Trades Council, Edward Malloy.
Funds from the transportation bond act would provide $230 million for repairs to the highways and bridges. It would also provide $326 million for repairs to subways and buses, as well as $550 million for the creation of the Second Avenue Subway and a rail link to Kennedy Airport.
Proposal 1 would give members of the state Senate and Assembly more power over the state budget than the governor. Good-government groups say it would make on-time budgets even less likely in New York State. Its opponents include Governor Pataki and Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, the presumed front-runner in next year’s gubernatorial race.