Former MTA Chair and Republican mayoral candidate Joe Lhota. (Photo: Andy Kropa/Getty Images)

Anthony Weiner took his first major shot at Republican Joe Lhota on Sunday, saying the former MTA chair should have worked harder to give the city more control of its state-run transit system before stepping down to run for mayor.

"For too long the MTA has been here in New York City, but we have very little control over it," Mr. Weiner said at a Park Slope street fair, when a voter asked him what he would do to curb rising fares. "There's no accountability now. And we have to push back and we have to try to get some control."

Mr Weiner then pointed to Mr. Lhota, who resigned as the MTA's boss after leading the city through Hurricane Sandy. "There's a guy running for mayor right now who was appointed by the state to come in and kind of keep track of us all as the lord governor of MTA, when at the time we should have been saying we want control of that ourselves. And that's what I'm gonna push for every time."

The attack came in response to a question from hospital worker Adany Paulino, 24, who told Mr. Weiner that his commute from Harlem to Brooklyn had grown too expensive after several rounds of unpopular fare hikes.

Mr. Weiner later told Politicker that Mr. Lhota, a long-time friend, "was, I guess, doing his job as an appointee of the state," but argued it was hypocritical for him to now be calling for more city control.

"You can't be the MTA head for five minutes without realizing that New York City doesn't have the control that it should have. And that should be--if you're really doing your job--you know, you're working for the governor, and you're not working for the city." But, he said, "You know you can't now, after you leave the job, say, 'Boy, I wish the city had more control over the MTA.' That's kind of like, you know, 'Stop me before I kill again,' that kind of thing."

Mr. Lhota's spokeswoman Jessica Proud, declined to respond on the criticism.

"I'm going to pass on responding to him," she said.

Mr. Weiner and Mr. Lhota have known each other for years, with Mr. Lhota recently telling the Post, "Anthony's been a friend for a long time." Still, the two recently spatted over conflicting recollections of a conversation that took place before either jumped into the race, in which Mr. Weiner claimed the Republican candidate urged him to run for comptroller over breakfast and Mr. Lhota's camp said it was Mr. Weiner who had suggested the run over lunch.

(Photo: Getty)

This afternoon, Governor Andrew Cuomo officially announced his pick to head the Metropolitan Transit Authority, left vacant over 100 days ago when then-Chairman Joe Lhota resigned to pursue a mayoral campaign: M.T.A. Interim Executive Director Tom Prendergast. And Mr. Lhota told Politicker he couldn't be more pleased with the selection.

"Tom Prendergast is a superb choice and he has a unique understanding of the system," Mr. Lhota proclaimed. “And I know of no one who cares more for the customers and the riders than Tom Prendergast. As chairman, I relied on him more than anyone and I think it's a great choice."

Mr. Cuomo, in a statement, was similarly effusive.

“The MTA plays a vital role in New York’s economy and the daily lives of the millions of commuters who use its services," the governor said. "Tom has vast experience in infrastructure and transportation and has spent years managing commuter railroads as well as New York City’s subways and buses. From the track bed to the budget to modernizing our system for the 21st Century, I can’t imagine anyone having a better understanding of how the region’s vast system operates and the challenges that it faces.”

Mr. Prendergast, who still faces approval in the State Senate, was seen as the most likely candidate for the job and was touted by both transit advocates and the transport workers union as the top choice for the job. In particular, they pointed to Mr. Prendergast's management experience--he was president of M.T.A. New York City Transit for the three years, for example.

"The long overdue appointment of Thomas Prendergast as Chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is encouraging news," Transportation Alternatives, a public transportation advocacy group, announced in a separate statement. "As the head of New York City Transit during the roll-out of Select Bus Service, Mr. Prendergast is particularly well-positioned to provide much-needed leadership in this area."

For his part, Mr. Prendergrast labeled the nomination "an incredible honor."

“It is an incredible honor to be nominated to lead the largest transportation network in North America, and to work with Governor Cuomo and his administration on the many challenges facing the MTA,” he said in the statement released by the governor's office. “The MTA will improve the customer experience, operate more efficiently and build for the future. And we will aggressively rebuild smarter and better in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy .... I look forward to working with the governor, his management team, the MTA Board and the 66,000 dedicated employees of the MTA family.”

John Catsimatidis

Freewheeling billionaire John Catsimatidis was told again and again it was time to for him to leave as he stood at the foot of the Verrazano Bridge in Brooklyn this afternoon.

"No, no, no..." his handlers pleaded as Mr. Catsimatidis, a Republican candidate for mayor, prepared to tell a gaggle of reporters about another press conference of his scheduled for next week.

"Now, there's another press conference coming, guess what we did in Brooklyn that nobody knows about?" Mr. Castimatidis asked as his team strained to keep  their plans under wraps.

But Mr. Catsimatidis, arriving in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to originally explain his plan to call upon the MTA to freeze additional toll and fare increases, was in his element, rambling extemporaneously about whatever subjects the assembled reporters cared to discuss. Republican Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis smiled at his side, watching as the man who had never been an elected official said and did exactly what he wanted to do. Politicker asked Mr. Catsimatidis about Mayor Michael Bloomberg's controversial plan to ban high-sugar drinks in cups or containers bigger than 16 ounces. Business leaders have attacked the proposal, which is set to go into effect March 12, but Catsimatidis, a supermarket tycoon, wasn't willing to join their ranks.

"I wouldn't want my kids to drink 32 ounce sodas,"  said Mr. Catsimatidis, explaining that he would also want more  health education programs put in public schools. "When I went to the movies a couple of weeks ago and I looked at the 32 oz soda and it said 1,100 calories, wow, never in a million years would I buy that one!"

Ms. Malliotakis rushed to agree with Mr. Catsimatidis about how it was good to make calorie counts available, but pivoted to take up the New York Post's talking point that the ban would also "tell me that I can't have a birthday party for my kids at Chuck E. Cheese with a pitcher of soda."

Mr. Catsimatidis also criticized the MTA's planned fare and toll hikes in March but, like Ms. Malliotakis, did not lay the blame on his Republican rival in the mayor's race, Joe Lhota. The MTA chairman when the tolls hikes were approved, Mr. Lhota faces potential backlash from voters on Staten Island who will have to pay even more to cross the Verrazano Bridge.

"I would say, I would have looked at it a lot more closely," said Mr. Catsimatidis  when asked if he also would have hiked fares if he was in Mr. Lhota's shoes. "I think some of the other political people in Staten Island that want to support him have to ask him the same question."

And Mr. Catsimatidis, seemingly unaware that former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrion is kicking off his mayoral campaign tomorrow night and looking to run against him in a Republican primary, said Mr. Carrion should instead run for something like public advocate or comptroller.

"I think the Republican Party that I'm running in has to be diverse. We need a Hispanic, we need a black and I'd love to see Adolfo Carrion run on one of those lines or A.R. Bernard who is a very, very decent guy. I've met him and really love the guy," he said.

As for that mysterious Brooklyn press conference?

"Stay tuned to next week. We saved jobs in Brooklyn nobody knows about."

(Photo: Getty)

M.T.A. Chairman Joe Lhota made quite the splash earlier this week when he announced he will retire at the end of the year in order to contemplate a mayoral bid as a Republican. At the same time he made the announcement, however, Mr. Lhota's agency approved a round of fare hikes, including an increase on the unpopular Verrazano-Narrows Bridge toll, which has some GOP politicos wondering if his political brand took a blow in a critical Republican constituency.

“I can already see the knives coming out about a $15 dollar toll on the Verrazano,” Republican consultant Gerry O’Brien told Politicker. “The M.T.A. is always one of the political entities under attack from politicians.”

However, Bob Scamardella, Staten Island’s Republican county chairman who has spoken approvingly about Mr. Lhota's candidacy in the past, argued Mr. Lhota's broader profile will be at stake, not just one issue.

“If the question is, is he somebody I would consider supporting, the answer to that question is an unqualified 'yes,'” he said, while admitting the hike “would weigh in his disfavor, that the toll issue is an important one on Staten Island. But Mr. Lhota’s record has to be weighed in its entirety by me and I think would be all of the voters.”

Unlike the four other county GOP chairs, Mr. Scamardella has yet to signal his strong support for a particular candidate. The Queens and Manhattan county organizations are in the corner of billionaire John Catsimatidis, while the Bronx and Brooklyn chairs have said they support former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión. But with its strong Republican base and Italian-American community, Staten Island's voters would seem an important voting bloc for Mr. Lhota's still-hypothetical campaign. On the other hand, former Mayor Rudy Giuliani is reportedly an "enthusiastic supporter" of Mr. Lhota, who once worked in his administration, and may be able to provide some local political cover.

Nevertheless, protests against hikes have become almost a ritual on the island, and though Mr. Lhota was chair of the M.T.A. for just under a year, he could easily face attacks on the hot-button issue. Indeed, one of his Republican rivals, DOE Fund founder George McDonald, wasted little time blasting Mr. Lhota.

"As Staten Islanders struggle to recover from the devastation wrought by Super Storm Sandy, it is mind boggling that the MTA and its Chairman would approve a $15 cash toll on the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge,” Mr. McDonald said in a statement yesterday. “Just weeks after Sandy and months after the last Port Authority toll increase, the people of Staten Island deserve economic relief, not another body blow."

Even Democrats have been near-giddy. A top consultant for Council Speaker Christine Quinn, a likely mayoral candidate, immediately slammed the various fare hikes as soon as they were announced, and Kevin Elkins, the executive director of Staten Island's Democratic Party, didn't exactly mince words when Politicker inquired about Mr. Lhota's candidacy.

"Mark Sanchez has a better chance of starting as a quarterback for the Jets next year than Joe Lhota has of becoming mayor," Mr. Elkins said. "Staten Island has often provided the margin of victory for mayoral candidates and we're not going to vote for the former head of the M.T.A. which just approved another toll hike. Tolls are one of the biggest issues on the island and instead of plotting to run for mayor, perhaps he should have spent his time trying to figure out how to alleviate the M.T.A.'s budgetary woes without using Staten Islanders as an A.T.M."

For his part, Mr. Lhota said the fare increases were a simple budgetary necessity, but he seemed to acknowledge the political danger they brought to his future. The timing of his resignation announcement was “a profile in courage," he said.

Politicker went through Mr. Lhota's Twitter archive to explore the teachings of the most philosophical entrant in next year's mayoral race. Check out our slideshow to discover Mr. Lhota's ideas on the passage of time, coping with pain, the very nature of life itself and the importance of the Godfather trilogy.

(Photo: Getty)

The head of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, Joe Lhota, looks like he's serious about his rumored campaign for mayor in 2013.

According to multiple New York Times sources "with direct knowledge of his plans," Mr. Lhota, a Republican who worked as a deputy mayor in the Giuliani administration, "is expected to resign on Friday and announce his candidacy for New York City mayor."

Mr. Lhota received widespread praise for his handling of the M.T.A. in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, although apparently not enough to boost his political branding among the widespread public. In a November Quinnipiac poll, Mr. Lhota was destroyed when pitted against a generic Democratic.

However, with former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's expected backing, Mr. Lhota is likely to be a force in the Republican primary, at the very least. Other likely GOP candidates include Manhattan Media C.E.O. Tom Allon, former Bronx Borough President Adolfo Carrión, DOE Fund founder George McDonald and supermarket magnate John Catsimatidis.

The GOP field, which appeared sparse not that long ago, certainly seems to be getting crowded very quickly. But in a city where Mitt Romney's presidential campaign took less than 20% of the vote, the eventual Republican nominee is guaranteed to have a steep  hill to climb.

TWU Local 100 President John Samuelsen. (Photo: YouTube)

The Transit Workers Union Local 100 is holding a daylong "reclaim public transit" event tomorrow in conjunction with Occupy Wall Street and the Working Families Party, against the backdrop of their protracted contract negotiationswith the Metropolitan Transit Authority. According to the statement announcing the event, it is designed to "highlight funding and infrastructure needs of public transportation across the nation" and "raise awareness about how public transit supports good jobs, sustainable communities, a greener environment and reduced consumption of oil." Tomorrow's event will include a pair of press conferences as well as leafleting and petitions calling on the MTA to "reoccupy" underutilized buildings in Downtown Brooklyn in order to cut costs.

TWU Local 100 remains engaged in protracted contract negotiations with the Metropolitan Transit Authority. Technically, the union's contract expired in January, but both sides agreed to continue talks past the deadline. Last time Local 100's contract expired in 2005, the union went on a strike that cost them millions of dollars due to penalties imposed under the Taylor Law, which bars New York's public employees from going on strike.

Occupy Wall Street is planning a general strike on May 1, but the occupiers have reportedly had trouble convincing unions to join them. Late last month, occupiers took responsibility for chaining open gates at several subway stations and posting flyers advertising the general strike and "free entry." Though Occupy Wall Street claimed workers from Local 100 cooperated with the free ride protest, the union denied any involvement.

Adam Lisberg (Photo: Twitter)

Adam Lisberg, the Editor of the New York political media outlet City & State is moving on to handle communications for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency announced this morning.

"It's going to be quite a challenge, they came gunning for me hard," Mr. Lisberg told The Politicker.

"At first I thought, I've be a reporter my entire career," he said. "But I've always been a transit geek ... I really believe in mass transit. I believe in cities, and finding ways for people to move in and out of a concentrated space is the lifeblood -- not just economically -- of what makes cities thrive."

Mr. Lisberg, who was formerly City Hall Bureau Chief for the New York Daily News, moved on to combine the then-named newspapers City Hall News and The Capitol into City & State, and launched the widely-read "First Read" morning email and a blog under the same banner.

(However, his life did get a tad more complicated when Tom Allon, the CEO of Manhattan Media, which owns City & State, launched an uphill campaign for mayor in 2013.)

Mr. Lisberg, who will be making $150,000 at the MTA, said Andy Hawkins will become Acting Editor of City & State on March 30th and the publication will be conducting a "live search" for his ultimate replacement.

Disclosure: This reporter freelanced for City Hall News in 2011.

Bill de Blasio (Photo: Facebook)

Public Advocate and likely 2013 mayoral candidate Bill de Blasio is the latest city politician joining the push to establish an NYU and Polytech applied sciences campus at an empty building owned by the MTA in Brooklyn. The Politicker obtained letters Mr. de Blasio sent to Mayor Michael Bloomberg and MTA Chairman Joe Lhota last Friday urging them to support the project.

"The proposed repurposing of the MTA’s unused building at 370 Jay Street to house the NYU Applied Science Center would be an integral part of the continuing revitalization of Downtown Brooklyn and would also help a New York City educational institutional increase its contribute to education and in technology in our city," Mr. de Blasio wrote in his letter to the Mayor.

Mr. de Blasio, who is an NYU alum, also said the tech campus would be a boost to New York's emerging startup scene.

"The center will also serve as an incubator for start-up tech companies, augmenting the work done at Brooklyn’s other incubators at the Navy Yard and in DUMBO," Mr. de Blasio wrote.

NYU initially submitted the Downtown Brooklyn proposal as part of the bidding war sparked by the Mayor Bloomberg's offer of a $100 million grant to help build an engineering and applied science campus in the city. Cornell and Technion-Israel Institute of Technology eventually won out, but a growing coalition of lawmakers including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz and State Senator Daniel Squadron have called for the city to help keep the NYU tech campus proposal alive.

In spite of the political muscle behind it, the NYU proposal became complicated earlier this month after the MTA upped its asking price for the 370 Jay Street building. In his letter to Mr. Lhota, Mr. de Blasio encouraged the MTA to cooperate with the proposal.

"I write to strongly encourage the MTA to work with NYU and City government to make NYU’s proposed Center for Urban Science and Program a reality," Mr. de Blasio said. "NYU’s plan proposes transforming the currently unused MTA property at 370 Jay Street into a new complex for NYU, unlocking the economic potential of this vacant building."

TWU Local 100 President telling reporters the MTA engaged in "bad-faith bargaining" by negotiating in the press. (Photo: Local 11)

Transport Workers Union Local 100, which represents the people who operate the city's subways and buses, has pulled out of contract talks with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. In a statement released today about their departure from the bargaining table, Local 100 accused the MTA of "negotiating in the press" in "a shocking violation of good faith negotiation tactics."

"Negotiations were to resume on Thursday, January 19. That morning, an article appeared in the NY Daily News presenting givebacks that the MTA would be asking for at the meeting. This was a shocking violation of good faith negotiating practices and of a specific agreement with management to refrain from negotiating in the press," the statement said. "This move, the second time in three days that management had seeded the press with its claims, poisoned the atmosphere for negotiations. Local 100 presented its protest and then cancelled the remainder of the bargaining session in order to clear the air before negotiations continued."

TWU's statement didn't just accuse the MTA of planting the story. It also said the information contained in the story was inaccurate.

"Despite reports planted by the MTA in the media, only two wage proposals have been made. The MTA is 'offering' 0-0-0-2-2," the statement said. "That is, a 5-yr contract with a 3-yr wage freeze and a 2% raise in the 4th and 5th year. These terms mirror the deal accepted by two big unions of NY state workers."

Local 100's contract with the MTA expired Monday making this the first time the TWU hasn't had a contract since the infamous transit strike of 2005. Both sides agreed to keep talking after the deadline, but if either party declares an impasse the negotiations will head into binding arbitration. According to the TWU statement, "some progress" has been made on "departmental issues, but discussions of wages and health benefits still have a long way to go."

"The MTA is clearly under pressure to railroad us into an agreement on their terms or, failing that, to force the contract into snap arbitration, cutting short the negotiating process. We are not going to be railroaded," the TWU statement said. "We are committed to achieving a fair contract -- one that exceeds the terms accepted by the state unions -- at the negotiating table. But we are not going to sit still while management attempts to frame the negotiations in the press before they even take place. This is just a way to pressure us into unwarranted concessions."

In another Daily News story, the MTA denied planting the Daily News story. TWU John Samuelsen aired his outrage about the MTA's alleged communications with the press in a press conference of his own yesterday.

"That’s an outrage. It’s disingenuous," Mr. Samuelsen said.

Despite their harsh words for the MTA, the TWU said they "look forward to returning to the bargaining table."

"We want to make progress in the negotiations. That is why we halted talks on the 19th, and why we expect to resume talks in an improved atmosphere."