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May 9, 2007
MTA Chairman, in Charge During 2005 Strike, Is Stepping Down
AP, via 1010 WINS News Radio
An article on the resignation of MTA Chairperson Peter Kalikow turns to a local group for some perspective on his legacy:
The Straphangers Campaign, a riders' advocacy group, gave Kalikow mixed ratings for his stewardship of the MTA.
The group said Kalikow's achievements included a $21.3 billion five-year capital rebuilding program and more transparent budget-making process. On the debit side, the straphangers said, he initially agreed to sell development rights to the Atlantic Yards in Brooklyn and the far West Side in Manhattan for less than the MTA's own appraiser said they were worth.
MEDIA ALERT: "Atlantic Yards" is Bruce Ratner's name for the entire 22-acre project, which includes the eight-acre Vanderbilt Yards.
In case you're wondering, Ratner's lowball bid was $50 million lower than the competing bid by development company Extell.
The MTA eventually accepted Ratner's bid, citing the added value of track improvements. The dirty little secret that most reporters don't understand is that "track improvements" is a euphemism for "we have to move the tracks to make room for the arena 'bowl.'"
Such lack of transparency and wholesale capitulation to developers, without regard for the MTA's bottom line, will remain the legacy of outgoing Chairman Peter Kalikow.
Posted by lumi at May 9, 2007 8:02 AM