State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s recent critical audit of the MTA reveals a so-called surplus of $1.9 billion. He missed the agency’s $34 billion long term debt. His argument that this should alleviate future pending fare hikes in 2015 and 2017 is the height of hypocrisy.
DiNapoli is clearly not an accountant but an Albany career politician who can’t balance his own books. As a member of the state Assembly from 1986 to 2006, he faithfully voted for every budget put forward by Democratic Speaker Sheldon Silver.
These budgets were then adopted by the Republican controlled state Senate and signed off by the governor.
Each year, DiNapoli and friends refused to adopt the appropriate levels of direct financial assistance to support past and current MTA five-year capital programs. They shortchanged them by billions of dollars for decades.
DiNapoli and colleagues insisted that the MTA raise cash by borrowing.
New York City also did the same by joining the state in collectively cutting billions of their own respective financial contributions. Both repeatedly had the MTA refinance or borrow funds to acquire scarce capital funding formerly made up by hard cash from both City Hall and Albany.
This has resulted in a greater reliance of bonding, which in turn eats up a greater percentage of the MTA’s budget on interest costs to support debt service payments. In turn, this has resulted in the fare hikes that he is so quick to critique.
Does DiNapoli use the Long Island Rail Road from his home in Great Neck to travel to Penn Station and then switch to Amtrak for his journey to Albany?
Does he even own and use a Metro Card on subways and buses? Perhaps he prefers to leave millions of ordinary New Yorkers behind and have a taxpayer funded staff member drive him around town?
In a previous life, as a loyal member of the state assembly under Speaker Silver, then state Assemblyman DiNapoli votes year after year in favor of each and every adopted state budget.
Year after year, by his vote, he concurred with both increasing spending above the rate of inflation along with allowing state debt to grow by billions of dollars.
In return, Assemblyman DiNapoli got to bring home his share of the bacon known as member item pork barrel spending.
Many of his constituents didn’t believe these treats were kosher. As a result of his long time faithful allegiance to Speaker Silver, he was selected by a joint session of all 212 members of the state Legislature to fill the vacancy created by resignation of state Comptroller Alan Hevesi, in 2008.
Millions of registered voters were disenfranchised in the process by this back door maneuver.
It is interesting that after all these years, state Comptroller DiNapoli continues attempting to reinvent himself from the days of state Assemblyman DiNapoli.
Then again, why would anyone expect any less from one of Albany’s insider bipartisan career politicians?
Comptroller DiNapoli will never disagree with his mentor Speaker Silver or his other benefactors in the state Legislature.
He will also never campaign against Speaker Silver or the others.
Party loyalty is more important than any allegiance to taxpayers and transit riders who have to pick up the tab.
Larry Penner
Great Neck
