Memo to the Governor-Elect
Five Ways to Fix the MTA

By MEL LEVY

Governor-elect Spitzer has vowed a top-to-bottom fix in Albany starting Jan. 1. As someone who takes him at his word, I herewith offer some suggestions on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. As a retired Transit Authority Engineer (35-plus years) and union president (Chapter 2 of District Council 37's Local 375 for 19 years) I have more than a little knowledge of the MTA and its constituent agencies. In addition, I am not looking for a job.

Here are some suggestions;

1. Abolish the MTA Capital Construction Company.
This organization has been in operation for over three years and was never approved by the State Legislature. Its only function is to outsource (without oversight) engineering that can be done in-house for much less. Did you know that most of the 2nd Ave. Subway design was done in the early 1970s? Why did the Capital Construction Company commission a redesign for $600 million (by the way, an in-house design would have cost about $50 million)? Why do the consultants say the section from East 63rd St. to 96th St. will cost $3.8 billion (or $49,000 an inch) when the real cost is closer to $400 million?

Why did this organization not question the rapid escalation in cost of the East Side LIRR Connection? The original cost was $2.2 billion, but our version of the Big Dig is now up to $6 billion, with no questions asked.

Based on these examples alone, the Capitol Construction Company should disappear.

2. The MTA board should have its own small independent engineering staff.
The board members do not have the expertise or time to properly study or question constituent agency requests. For example, there was a cheaper alternative to the East Side Connection which could already have been completed for less than $300 million.

3. The MTA's Inspector General's Office should not be funded by the MTA.
At the time of the last fare raise, two sets of books were discovered by the State Comptroller, and there were no MTA consequences.

4. Why is there an adversarial relationship between the MTA and its unions?
Neither side knows everything about the properties' operation, but together they know more than each alone.

5. Dedicated funding could prevent fare raises and bring additional funds into the system through Federal tax write-offs.

As I stated before, I am not looking for a job, but I am ready to help pro-bono.

Mr. Levy, a retired veteran of 35 years in the transit system who monitored the structural integrity of the subway system's below-river tunnels, is the former chairman of the Civil Service Technical Guild's New York City Transit chapter.