Richard Ravitch has been New York’s “Mr. Fix-It” for four decades.
Ravitch, 76, was credited with turning around the city’s decrepit city transit system as MTA chairman in the 1980s. He even stared down an 11-day transit strike.
Gov. Paterson last year relied on Ravitch’s expertise, appointing him the point man on a panel to study MTA finances. But some of its recommendations — such as slapping tolls on the East River bridges — were rejected.
Ravitch, who had a background as a developer, was tapped by then-Gov. Hugh Carey in the 1970s to clean up the state Urban Development Corp., a housing entity on the verge of bankruptcy.
Ravitch also helped New York City avert bankruptcy by renegotiating federal loan guarantees with President Gerald Ford’s administration and wresting concessions from unions.
He ran for mayor in 1989 but was trounced in the Democratic primary by David Dinkins, winning just 4 percent of the vote.
Additional reporting by Brendan Scott