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IN FOCUS |
by Matthew W. Daus, Esq. |
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WELCOME MAYOR-ELECT DE BLASIO!
TRANSPORTATION TRANSITIONS - THE ROAD AHEAD
A new day is dawning in New York City with the election of our new Mayor, and my friend, Bill de Blasio. Mayor-Elect de Blasio will be inheriting a plethora of major issues in running our complex and dynamic city including many pressing policy decisions in the ground transportation and traffic realm.
I was pleased to support Bill de Blasio who has been an active participant in the activities and events of my political organization for well over a decade. This city wide independent "grass roots" group known as NED, is comprised of campaign volunteers all over the City. NED endorsed Bill and helped lift him to victory in both the Democratic primary and the general election through our GOTV ("get-out-the-vote") activities coordinated directly with the campaign.
Bill was also a frequent visitor to my law office several times over the past year meeting with a variety of business owners and leaders, and our attorneys at Windels Marx. Also, I am pleased that following his keynote speech before the Coalition of Transportation Associations (COTA) in 2012, of which I was sworn in as President and Board Chair, COTA proudly endorsed Bill for Mayor.
I have had discussions with our Mayor-Elect about bringing as many diverse transportation stakeholders together as possible so that we can communicate better and work towards common goals. We need to highlight important issues to be addressed by our incoming Mayor, and suggest sound solutions to existing problems for the best interest of all transportation stakeholders and passengers. New leadership is expected at the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC), the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT), and possibly the Mayor's appointees to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board.
?Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio (center), at the law office of Windels Marx, with firm partner Matthew Daus (right) and Mayor-Elect Bill de Blasio's political mentor, 97 year-old Mary Sansone (left) who Bill de Blasio described as the most "interesting New Yorker he knows." See http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/23/nyregion/23qadvocate.html
Photo: Neil Weiss, Black Car News
We all need to work together to support and help our Mayor-Elect to ensure that he is successful in his mission of uniting all members of our great city, and assist him in his quest to bring order, equity and sound policy making to address transportation services and issues. To assist our new Mayor, I have commenced a project at the University Transportation Research Center at City College of the City University of New York, to form a Transportation Policy Committee that will serve as an academic and professional resource for the Mayor and his new Administration.
Former high ranking transportation officials, academics, peers and public interest group stakeholders will be represented to help provide continued guidance, support, research and information to the new Administration where requested and needed. These efforts have already resulted in extensive reports on the positions of all the candidates for Mayor on important transportation policy issues. The reports may be accessed at:
http://www.utrc2.org/sites/default/files/pubs/Revised-Report-Final.pdf.
These reports followed a well attended and covered Mayoral Transportation Forum held at Baruch College on June 19, 2013. Media coverage of the event can be accessed at the following link:
http://www.windelsmarx.com/news_detail.cfm?id=288
and a video can be viewed at: http://vimeo.com/69013945.
It is hard to predict what will happen beyond the public pronouncements of Mayor-Elect de Blasio which are extensively detailed in my reports and on his campaign website.
Mayor-Elect de Blasio's background and transportation policy positions and plans to date can be reviewed in detail in the summary we prepared and vetted with his staff:
http://www.windelsmarx.com/public_document.cfm?id=276&key=3G0.
I am 100% confident that everyone will be heard and have a voice or seat at the table whether he agrees or disagrees with stakeholders.
Mayor-Elect de Blasio's first order of business is to appoint new TLC and DOT Commissioners, new MTA Board members and possibly officials at the Mayor's office responsible for overseeing and coordinating transportation policy matters across agencies citywide. I believe that, based on the Mayor-Elect's prior pronouncements, big changes may be coming to:
- the Taxi of Tomorrow program;
- bike lane selection processes;
- tweaks to the outer-borough livery street hail (green cab) program;
- the horse and carriage industry;
- the expansion of bus rapid transit;
- more equitable subway service to all boroughs of the city;
- implementation of his "Vision Zero" plan with reduced speed zones; and
- certainly administrative personnel changes at all levels of the city's transportation agencies.
I know Mayor-Elect de Blasio will undoubtedly listen, be fair to passengers and industry alike in all boroughs, and take a balanced view towards policymaking that does not involve personalities, prior history or an irrepressible viewpoint.
Congratulations on a hard fought victory Mayor-Elect de Blasio! We will all come together as New Yorkers to support you and help you succeed. Now the even more difficult work of governing and policymaking begins – and we know you are up to it!
