THE BYFORD PLAN AND THE MTA INFORMATION DEFICIT
New York City Transit’s new president, Andy Byford, recently presented a major plan to fix the subways, called “Fast Forward,”Continue Reading
Author: jimbrennancommentaries
Jim Brennan was a member of the New York State Assembly for 32 years and retired at the end of 2016. He chaired four committees, including the Assembly Committee on Corporations, Authorities, and Commissions for six years, the Committee on Cities for five years, and the Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities for six years. There are 96 Brennan laws on the books of the State of New York and Jim won three national awards for his legislative work during his career.
CONGRESS 2018: THE 7% SOLUTION- CAN DEMOCRATS GET THERE? A MAY POLLING UPDATE
The Congress 2018 column I published in early April looked at how the Democrats and Republicans are doing in theContinue Reading
STATE BUDGET DOES HELP MASS TRANSIT, BUT MTA CAPITAL PLAN UNCERTAINTY RISING
The MTA received two significant infusions of new money in the State Budget adopted effective this April 1st. The firstContinue Reading
CONGRESS 2018: A LOOK AT RECENT POLLS VS. WHAT HAPPENED IN 2014
The flow of polling across the country about politics includes a question regularly asked of the electorate called the GenericContinue Reading
STATE BUDGET MASS TRANSIT UPDATE: NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN AS DEADLINE DRAWS NEAR; S & P CUT MTA BOND RATING
With the New York State budget deadline of April 1 fast approaching, the Assembly, Senate, and the Governor are nowContinue Reading
CONGESTION PRICING TRAIN ALREADY RUNNING LATE IN ALBANY
There is plenty of debate ongoing in Albany now about the pros and cons of congestion pricing-but little discussion yetContinue Reading
With MTA Facing Massive Shortfall, A Lot Riding on New Congestion Pricing Push
Governor Cuomo’s “Fix NYC” Commission produced a framework for a congestion pricing plan, released just after the Governor’s Executive BudgetContinue Reading
Contrary to Cuomo Claim, Upstate Economy Faltered this Century, Not Last
Governor Cuomo described the Upstate New York economy as suffering from a “ bad fifty years “ as he triedContinue Reading
Upstate New York is Home to Heavy Voter Turnout, Major State Investment, and Minimal Job Growth
Responding to criticism that his administration’s efforts to help the economy in upstate New York have been ineffective, Governor CuomoContinue Reading
The MTA’s Long-Term Financial Problem is Severe and May Soon Be Worse
Summer 2017 saw a political breakthrough for mass transit riders when Governor Cuomo declared a “ Transit Emergency “ afterContinue Reading
The Mayor’s Best Argument on Transit System Funding
Governor Cuomo’s declaration of a state emergency after the Harlem subway derailment in June offered hope to suffering transit ridersContinue Reading
The Governor cannot duck a reckoning for mass transit’s decline
New York’s mass transit riders are experiencing a serious and rapid decline in service. The negatives are palpable and documentable;Continue Reading
Cuomo gave MTA chump change from State’s $9.9 billion windfall in settlements with Wall Street Badguys
The State of New York received nearly $9.9 billion between 2014 and 2017 in legal settlements from 33 different financialContinue Reading
Ballot Question this November: Shall there be a Constitutional Convention?
On Election Day this November voters will be asked the question: ” Shall there be a convention to revise theContinue Reading
EDUCATION AID AND TAX CUTS
The New York State budget approved this April provided the lowest funding increase for public schools in the last fiveContinue Reading
Housing and Hardball Politics
The adopted State budget includes a $2.5 billion appropriation for new affordable housing, with $1 billion for supportive housing. TheContinue Reading
Statewide Electric Rate Hike Goes into Effect April 1
Last August the New York State Public Service Commission ordered the State’s utilities to buy electricity at higher rates fromContinue Reading
The Triumph of the Medicaid program
One big health care story in the wake of the failure to repeal Obamacare is the triumph of the MedicaidContinue Reading
The top priority in the State budget this year is the renewal of the multimillionaires’ tax.
Failure to renew the tax, which expires Dec.31 of this year, will result in a $3.3 billion revenue loss toContinue Reading