Spitzer Appoints Frasca to MTA

By ARI PAUL

Governor Spitzer appointed transportation financial consultant Doreen Frasca last week to be a member of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board.

Ms. Frasca is the president of Frasca and Associates, a financial consulting firm advising airports nationwide, including Atlanta Hartsfield, Chicago O'Hare and Miami International.

Her fascination with transportation started when she grew up under the flight path to LaGuardia Airport in The Bronx. After receiving an M.B.A. in finance from Columbia University, she worked in the Debt Markets Group at Merrill Lynch, where she was an airport consultant.

In addition to serving as a Trustee of the Finance Committee of the New York Historical Society and on the Audit Committee of NYC Off-Track Betting, she also advised former Massachusetts Governor Jane Swift on security and financial matters at Logan International Airport in Boston after 9/11.

Ms. Frasca must be confirmed by the State Senate. "I'm sort of in the process of understanding their numbers," she said last week.

'Invaluable' Experience

An E train commuter, she hoped to work on alleviating congestion and delays on the 6 train, extending the 7 line and securing financing for the construction of the Second Ave. subway line.

Managing airport finances has been fascinating and complex, Ms. Frasca explained, but she looks forward to volunteering her time as a voting member of the MTA Board.

"I know the product," she said. "Transit is no different."