THE ISSUE: The power struggle between Gov. Paterson and MTA board member Nancy Shevell.
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Ulterior motives — real or believed — aside, MTA board member Nancy Shevell was correct in casting her dissenting vote for the more-than-generous Jay Walder salary package (“Gov: Derail Paul’s Lover,” Sept. 17).
In today’s economy, Shevell cast the right vote. As for globe-trotting with Paul McCartney, what woman in her right mind would say no?
Shevell is a class act and a true success in her own right. That probably carries more weight with Gov. Paterson than her dissenting vote.
Katie Colby
Red Bank, NJ
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Paterson’s effort to ditch Shevell is a welcome, if belated, move. For Shevell, who has overseen the relentless increases in cost and endless delays in completing the MTA’s ineptly designed projects, to now vote against a pay package for Walder is ludicrous.
Where was Shevell when her committee refused to invite the Delcan Corp. to defend its LIRR East Side Access alternative? The Delcan plan would have saved $1.2 billion in construction costs, completed the project three years sooner and avoided the time-consuming and dangerous trek from the MTA’s deep-cavern plan.
Too often, MTA board members have shunned their fiduciary responsibility and just rubber-stamped staff decisions. These decisions are often shaped by engineering firms that have a lot to gain from overdesigned projects.
It’s time for Paterson to appoint MTA board members who care and are willing to spend the time to understand what’s going on.
George Haikalis
President, Institute for
Rational Urban Mobility
Manhattan