Cross your heart?
Gov. Paterson yesterday vowed to use “any means necessary” to quell the political storm stalling an MTA bailout plan, and assured commuters they won’t get socked with sky-high fare hikes.
“I promise you we are not going to put that kind of a fare increase on the commuters,” he said after addressing business leaders in Midtown.
Paterson also slammed the state Senate’s seesawing talks meant to find alternative funding for the cash-strapped agency.
“I don’t think the MTA discussions have demonstrated a high degree of professionalism,” he said.
Paterson is demanding an agreement that will stave off a 23 percent increase on fares — even if it means a special session after the Easter-Passover holiday on April 20 “where everybody would just have to stay there until they work it out.”
Four suburban senators are holding out on a plan to solve the MTA’s $1.2 billion budget crisis because they said a business tax of 33 cents for every $100 of payroll is unfair to their districts.
Mayor Bloomberg said he hoped Paterson could make good on yesterday’s promise, noting first that he was “very, very concerned,” and then saying, “The public should demand action.”
“I’m sure the governor is very frustrated,” he said. “The governor clearly has his work his work cut out for him.”
Meanwhile, Paterson shot back at critics of his $132 billion budget, noting that naysayers are ignoring its sweeping reforms, spending cuts and the impact of federal stimulus funds.
“The fact is, this is a balanced and effective budget,” Paterson said.
He did acknowledge that the budget was far from perfect — joking that it wouldn’t win any “blue ribbon” prizes at the state fair — and said he regretted hiking taxes on New Yorkers making more than $300,000.
But he was quick to point to an immediate effect of the budget — Rush Limbaugh saying he’s leaving the city because of the “stupid, punitive, massive tax increases.”
“If I knew that would be the result, I would have thought about the taxes earlier,” Paterson quipped.
The governor’s confidence in preventing fare hikes wasn’t shared by skeptical transit advocacy groups.
“Everyone is looking for leadership and to find out how he’s going to make that promise real — confidence is shaky right now,” said Wiley Norvell, of Transportation Alternatives.
He said impatient riders are “furious” with the Albany deadlock.
Additional reporting by David Seifman