Photo Courtesy of the Office of the Governor/Kevin P. Coughlin
Lhota is leaving after two separate terms as head of the MTA.
By Michael V. Cusenza
After two separate terms as head of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and decades of public service, Joe Lhota has decided to step down from his post as MTA chairman, Lhota and Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Friday.
“He stabilized the subway system, appointed a new leadership structure to completely overhaul the MTA, and led with a steady hand during some of the agency’s most challenging moments. In short, Joe demonstrated time and again why he was the right person for the job. I am deeply grateful for his service to the State of New York,” Cuomo said.
Lhota was effusive in his praise for Cuomo in the lengthy statement he issued on Friday.
“His commitment and robust support to enhance and modernize the MTA into an integrated 21st century transportation system is unmatched and unwavering,” Lhota said.
Lhota stepped up and volunteered to become MTA chairman in late spring 2017, “following a well-documented period of rapid deterioration of transit services,” he recalled. At the behest of Cuomo, Lhota crafted the Subway Action Plan during his first month as head the agency, and according to Lhota, it already “has successfully arrested the subway’s decline. The plan has produced a 34.8 percent decline in major subway incidents causing delays (a comparison of September 2017 to September 2018). In September 2018 the number of total train delays fell to the lowest point since February 2016.” Still, Lhota acknowledged that “there is still a long way to go to achieve the performance that New Yorkers demand and deserve.”
In his first tour of duty at the MTA in 2012 Lhota was roundly lauded for leading the agency’s resurgence following the devastating beating it absorbed from Superstorm Sandy. He rode that overwhelmingly positive political wave until it crested at the 2013 Mayoral Election, in which he was soundly defeated by Mayor Bill de Blasio.
On Friday, MTA leadership praised its outgoing chairman.
“We are extremely grateful for the steady leadership he provided during his tenure. Joe launched the Subway Action Plan, reinvigorated the MTA and set us on the path to success. His focus on delivering better daily service for our customers and prioritizing cost containment and procurement reform initiatives and working to create long-term sustainable funding sources were the hallmarks of his time leading the board,” wrote Fernando Ferrer, acting MTA chairman; Veronique Hakim, managing director; Pat Foye, president; Janno Lieber, chief development officer; and Bob Foran, chief financial officer.
Lhota also lavished appreciation on the rank-and-file on his last day.
“Anyone who knows me will have a keen understanding of the appreciation and admiration that I have for the men and women of the MTA,” Lhota said. “Every day, they enable 9+ million New Yorkers to safely get to work, go to school, meet dates, have doctor’s appointments and get home via anyone of the MTA’s assets. Next time you see a subway, bus, railroad or bridge/tunnel worker, please thank them for their service.”
In accordance with MTA bylaws, Vice Chairman Fernando Ferrer will serve as acting chairman while the governor prepares to name a permanent replacement when the Senate returns in January.
