Waste Management or more wasted MTA spending?

 Posted by Nick at 10:25 am  MTA
Jul 152010
 

MTA “Budget Restrictions” have caused cancelled or reduced service, route changes, longer wait times, layoffs, booth closings, etc all leading to, if possible, poorer MTA service…all in an effect to save money and close budget gaps.  Commuting for South Brooklyn is terrible. Commuters in Sheepshead Bay, Manhattan Beach, Brighton Beach and Coney Island ride the Q and B subway lines which share 1 track and Coney Island and Bensonhurst no longer have the M line all riders forced on to the D line.

Diana Jones Ritter is starting a new position with the MTA on July 16 to oversee cost-cutting and restructuring at the Metropolitan Transit Authority; according to one report, she’ll be paid $217,000. The MTA press release praised Jones Ritter’s background. An ongoing story by PIX 11 News reporter Greg Mocker on the nightly 10PM news has pointed out that the release did include one glaring mistake:

It said “she is accountable for an $8 billion budget” when in fact the Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (OMRDD) budget is about half that  just over $4 billion.

Mocker quickly discovered there was plenty the MTA didn’t say about Jones Ritter.

Most glaring was a June 2010 investigation of OMRDD by the New York Senate Task Force on Government Efficiency. The report cited millions of dollars in wasteful spending on overtime, housing, and poor cost containment by the OMRDD… Another eye-opening report came from New York’s State Inspector General. It found “apparent nepotism and undue influence in employment practices at the OMRDD New York City Office’s Fiscal Unit.

…In response to a flurry of questions from Mocker about Jones Ritter, the MTA issued this… “Diana Jones Ritter was selected for the job after an extensive internal and external search. An exhaustive check of her background and references reaffirmed her excellent credentials and track record. Governor Paterson played no role in her hiring, nor did the activities of her husband. We are very confident that she is more than qualified.”

So what do you think of this MTA hire?

  • Robert Segarra

    Once again it is business as usual at the MTA. It is ponderous to me that no elected official has ever had the guts to go after the MTA, despite their obvious level of incompetency, and flagrant violations, not to mention one of the worst records for service of any major world class city. I’ve traveled the metros and subways of other states and even other countries, and it is sad at how much waste we let occur within our own mass transit system. European cites, and even places like Washington DC and San Francisco do a much better job with a fraction of the budget that we have here.

    And to add insult to injury, aside from the incompetence and nepotism,
    a recent news report even brought out the fact that there is rampant corruption going on with our mass transit system. Apparently workers are being paid overtime while spending their days at local area beaches. And, this is apparently all legal.

    At a time when our economy is frail, and riders have to dig deeper and deeper just to make ends meet and to get to work each day, the MTA is hiring yet another incompetent executive, while token booths and token booth clerks face the budget ax.

    It is shameful and an embarrassment that riders have to deal with cuts in service that have taken our quality of life above ground and below ground to the breaking point! This situation is forcing many to make hard choices, while MTA brass add another high paid incompetent to their ranks.

    Aren’t there any elected officials out there with the guts to take on this issue? How long is the MTA going to be allowed to continue on down a path to bankruptcy? New Yorkers depend on the subway system. For the vast majority of us, it is the number one means of transportation and we deserve better. If our current spate of elected officials will not act in our best interests, maybe it’s time we clean house and get some new blood working for us. We need to vote with our consciences! It’s time for New Yorkers to have a say in their own future!

  • Penny L.

    Bloomberg pretended to be outraged that the Board of Education was corrupt and wasn’t working. In the end he had them taken over and dissolved. Why is he afraid to take on the MTA? Are they friends of his, or have they become a political liability to him, and a political liability to every other political leader for that matter?

  • Stephanie G.

    The MTA is one of those rare entities that has become so out of control that to try and address the situation now would require a Herculean effort. But to sit back and do nothing is unacceptable. Millions of people depend on mass transit in NYC. Something needs to be done immediately before there is a total meltdown.

  • Nathan Filho

    Fix or don’t fix it. One way or another someone is going to have to address the situation. The person who does end up taking on the MTA will forever be know as the “Giant Killer” if he or she is successful!

  • Fred Nesta

    What is Jay Walder doing at the MTA ?
    And why did he get the job?
    This “new” position..how many people did he interview?

  • BrooklynBus

    First of all let me state that I am glad you decided to give this story some more publicity. SecondAvenueSagas.com has remained silent on this appointment, although they specialize in mass transit news of the tri-state area.

    If anyone believes that Governor Paterson had nothing to do with this appointment, I’ve got a bridge to sell you. I believe this appointment was forced upon Walder with some type of threat that if is not made, monies for the Second Avenue Subway or the like would be reduced. I don’t believe he wanted it.

    As far as other inefficiencies at the MTA, I don’t hear him addressing things like track workers being assigned only two hours of work a day partially because they are waiting around for materials to be delivered. The union issues preventing efficient operation, he is tackling.

  • BX Cheer

    The subway lines are either stalled, running less frequently or delayed….boo hoo….definately a hindrance to early morning commutes..people cant be late to work……..I was stalled on the q line on saturday for a bit….Whats the solution to the budget shortfall? Raises taxes? Run less trains…..Privatize the service??????

  • Nick

    Here is Mr. Greg Mocker’s response to this blog entry.

    Great work, Nick. I have posted a link on my Facebook. Let’s stay in touch. I’m always looking for “issue and neighborhood” stories that impact us all.
    If you run across something, give me a shout. Hopefullly, we can work together on something and keep getting attention.
    Mocker

   
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