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12/14/2004: "MUSINGS FROM THE EDGE"

MUSINGS ON THE MTA, THE WEST SIDE STADIUM, MAYOR PROSECUTOR, AND GOVERNOR PATACUOMO.

I have been so busy the past few weeks that I have not had the opportunity to write any blogs. I know, I know, you almost died without them.

In the interim so many topics popped up, all of which I wanted to write full columns about. But time is short and the holidays are upon us so a quick blurb on a few items.

THE MTA IS LOST.

The agency is outright arrogant. The quotations from the press agents are combative. The statements from the Chairman are inane. (“The public supports fare hikes”…. Umm, what planet do you live on?) It takes a surplus, doesn’t use it to reduce fares and creates a rainy day fund. And a past history of cooking the books is not to be forgotten either.

Ultimately, the MTA does not get it or maybe it does. The alternatives to mass transit are actually worse and more expensive than mass transit. Trying to move about the metro area by car during rush hour is insane. It takes longer, is tiring and is more expensive. Unless you are really an automobile addict or if you have less than half a brain, you are taking mass transit or have a chauffeur (or you are the Mayor, with a chauffeur, helicopters and police escorts at your beckoning). So the MTA knows it can do what it wants and it still has the fastest and cheapest alternative.

Still the politics of mass transit have changed. A chart today (12-14-04) in AM New York listed new State capital contributions over the years. In the past four years, the amount is equal to zero (that is not a typo). And with the capital budget the fastest growing part of the MTA budget, you would think the State would kick in something.

But more on the fare hike later.

MSG, DOLAN AND BEDFELLOWS.

Much has been made about James Dolan’s personal advertisements on the West Side Stadium. And everyone views it as a great Mayoral boon for Mayor Billionaire’s opponents. But to those who would go to bed with James Dolan be very wary.

The Dolans own Cablevision. Cablevision is a utility. People hate utilities. But people especially hate Cablevision because it played games with the Yankees. Moreover, if you compare Cablevision to Time Warner, I think you will find Time Warner to be a superior service.

The Dolans own the Knicks and the Rangers. Or should I also say, the Dolans have destroyed the Knicks and the Rangers while increasing ticket prices to astronomical levels. Sports fans revolt.

I ask every politician against the West Side Stadium who is looking to join in with James Dolan as a means of beating the Mayor in 2005: do you really want to be in bed with this guy?

THE SONS OF MAYOR PROSECUTOR

So Bernard Kerik has all this garbage in the closet. An illegal nanny, inappropriate gifts, extra marital affairs and harassment, questionable stock options. Not a pretty list, especially the gifts and stock options part. Am I surprised? Absolutely not.

The great farce of the Mayor Prosecutor administration is that it was a bunch of choir boys. Far from it. Kerik had problems. Harding had problems. And trust me, there are probably more. How and when will we find out? Whenever a Giuliani minion attempts to get a higher office. Then the national press and other big-time politicians will strike some blows.

Mayor Prosecutor could bully this City for eight years. His intimidation kept people quiet and/or obsequious. On a national stage, that is not quite the case. Maybe he can bully a City Councilman from Brooklyn or the Bronx, but a Senator from Minnesota could care less about Mayor Prosecutor and his tough mindedness. And maybe the Times will keep quiet on certain issues, but national publications and web blogs won’t.

Mayor Prosecutor will face unbelievable scrutiny when he runs for President. He will have friends as he has campaigned nationally and made some. However, his underside will make just about everyone else appear like a saint. He won’t get very far.

GOVERNOR PATACUOMO’s MISCALCULATION.

It would be so nice if New York had a Governor. Unfortunately, Governor Patacuomo never took my recommendation to resign and give New York its first female governor as his legacy (what is her name again?).

I really wonder if this guy is living in the real world. He proposes more gambling to fund the school settlement when he doesn’t even have the casinos that he has planned for other reasons. He is totally disengaged from the MTA fare hike matter even though Mayor Billionaire has already instructed his appointees to vote no. And he spends lots of political capital for Bush the Second, and then we receive nothing for his investment (and does Patacuomo receive anything… if he does I have not seen…. Hold it, did he spend a night in the Lincoln Bedroom?).

The MTA is proposing a $211 million contribution to a rainy day fund. I can now tell you exactly when that fund will be used….2006. How can I be so sure? Because that’s the year of the governor’s race. (Notice I do not say the Governor’s reelection because the Governor will not be reelected.)

But the rainy day fund won’t help. Some fare hike in 2006 will still be needed. A State capital contribution to the MTA is not in the cards given that the school aid settlement will drain the State of most of its money over the next few years. A fare hike for three years out of four will hurt Patacuomo not only in the City (hey, we aren’t voting for him anyway), but in the increasingly Democratic suburbs.

Here is an early goodbye Governor, and don’t let the door hit you on the way out.