By Forum Staff
Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday announced the recommendation of Deputy Mayor for Operations Meera Joshi and Department of City Planning (DCP) Director and City Planning Commission (CPC) Chairman Dan Garodnick to serve on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board.
Currently overseeing the Adams administration’s transportation and infrastructure portfolio, Joshi spearheads the administration’s street safety work — which helped make 2023 New York City’s second-safest year for pedestrians since Vision Zero began in 2014 — while also creating vibrant public spaces in all five boroughs and preparing the city for congestion pricing. Garodnick leads the city’s land use priorities, including neighborhood plans in every borough and three citywide zoning text amendments focusing on the environment, economic development, and housing.
Prior to joining the Adams administration, Joshi was President Joe Biden’s nominee for administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the agency responsible for regulation of interstate trucking. In this role, she led initiatives aimed at improving roadway safety, the working conditions of truck drivers, and accountability mechanisms to integrate automation. Joshi was previously chair and CEO of the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission — the nation’s largest for-hire transportation regulator — where she spearheaded Vision Zero campaigns, keeping high risk drivers and unsafe vehicles off the road. She led landmark policy changes, including establishing robust open transportation data standards, enacting the nation’s first for-hire driver pay protection program, and providing broad and on-demand access to for-hire transportation for passengers who use wheelchairs.
In addition to her roles in transportation oversight, Joshi was previously the inspector general for the City Department of Correction, responsible for investigations of corruption and criminality at all levels of New York City’s jail operations between 2002 and 2008; and the first deputy executive director of the New York City Civilian Complaint Review Board, leading investigations of civilian allegations of police misconduct.
Garodnick previously served as a lawyer, not-for profit executive, and 12-year member of the City Council.
“Perhaps nothing impacts the smooth operations of New York more than its public transit system; it is the backbone around which our economy functions and our identity as New Yorkers is built. Supporting the MTA’s fiscal and operational wellbeing through this moment of transition would be a great honor and privilege,” said Joshi. “From delivering needed upgrades to effectively operationalizing congestion pricing, I am committed to faithfully serving the people of New York as a member of the MTA’s Board of Directors. I am deeply grateful for Mayor Adams’ nomination and look forward to the State Senate’s review.”
“Our mass transit system is the lifeblood of New York City and our entire region. I’m honored to be recommended by Mayor Adams to this important role, and I will work every day to deliver the safe and reliable transit system that New Yorkers rely on and deserve,” said Garodnick. “Transportation is a critical part of smart planning and land use, and this is a tremendous opportunity to advance even stronger housing, job, and transit efforts in the years to come.”
All MTA board nominations are subject to State Senate confirmation.
