NYDN Editorial: MTA Needs Stellar Leadership

As you know by now, one of the big stories I have blogged about lately is the possible appointment of Marc Shaw as the replacement to the recently resigned MTA CEO/Executive Director Elliot Sander.

State Senate Democrats have spoken out against his possible appointment. Gov. Paterson shot back with a warning to stop trashing his potential choice. The latest opinion comes from an editorial that appeared in Sunday’s New York Daily News which tells Gov. Paterson how he must find “stellar leadership” to lead the MTA:

Gov. Paterson is on the verge of filling a post vital to the lives of millions of New Yorkers: chief of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. This one he has to hit out of the park.

Having forced an MTA shakeup, Paterson must find a superstar – someone capable of keeping the trains and buses running while charting the future of mass transit.

The governor’s likely candidate appears to be Marc Shaw, a senior adviser who ran the authority in the 1990s. Shaw has much to recommend him, but Paterson must consider talent from across the country.

Only the best will suffice.

The MTA needs a leader who can manage a sprawling bureaucracy that provides 8.5 million rides on a typical weekday.

Who can hold the budget line and avoid service deteriorations that would wound the MTA’s credibility.

Who can maintain good relations with 70,000 workers while achieving labor savings.

Who can envision a bigger, better, more modern transit system – and lead the way in making it a reality.

Click here for the complete editorial.

This was a very well written editorial which focuses on the true need for Gov. Paterson to chose the best possible replacement to Elliot Sander. While the best person for the job was Elliot himself, it is a given that the worst choice would be Marc Shaw from the potential candidates. The successor must be chosen based on who would produce the best results & not by political favors. Will Gov. Paterson realize that & make the right choice? If his tenure is any indication, not likely.

xoxo Transit Blogger

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