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2009 Election News Roundup

Anti-incumbent sentiment appeared to be a strong force in the region this Election Day. New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine was defeated by challenger Chris Christie, while NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg won reelection by a margin much smaller than expected. In New York’s suburbs, Westchester County executive Andrew Spano lost a bid for a fourth term, while Nassau executive Tom Suozzi has a narrow lead in a race that is headed for a recount. So what does this mean for transportation in the region?

New Jersey

With the campaign over, Governor-elect Christie needs a specific, realistic plan to keep the state’s transportation system running. The Transportation Trust Fund, which funds transportation capital projects, will go bankrupt during Christie’s term due to past state borrowing. In a statement, the Tri-State Campaign agreed with Christie that the state cannot issue more debt to replenish the Trust Fund, and said it is unlikely that the state can continue to maintain its transportation system without new sources of revenue.

Christie’s overall vision for transportation and land use is a mystery; he did not return a TSTC issue survey (unlike his opponents), though he has said he supports concentrating housing development in New Jersey’s cities.  On Election Day, New Jersey voters also approved a $400 million bond issue to preserve open space, demonstrating that they continue to be concerned about suburban sprawl.

Finally, the candidate who ran on a promise to cut wasteful spending has a chance to reevaluate the poster children for government waste: The $3.5 billion planned widenings of the NJ Turnpike and Garden State Parkway.

New York City

The reelection of Mayor Bloomberg means that the city’s string of innovative pedestrian plazas, bike lanes, and bus rapid transit projects is likely to continue. A recent NY Times article described NYCDOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, who is responsible for transforming the transportation department into a national leader, as one of the mayor’s “untouchable” agency heads. Bloomberg’s “Plan to Reform Mass Transit” was the key transportation document released by his campaign, but nearly all of his transit goals will require the cooperation of the MTA. Given the city’s historically low contribution to the MTA capital program, it’s not clear how much leverage the mayor will have.

NYC Suburbs

Westchester county executive-elect Rob Astorino ran on a platform dedicated to cutting property taxes and spending. Transit advocates will be watching to see how the Bee-Line bus system fares; could Astorino’s support for government consolidation mean a shift in the county’s opposition to regional bus? Nassau executive challenger Ed Mangano has said little about transportation, but like incumbent Tom Suozzi, he supports the Lighthouse development project. Republicans retook the Nassau County Legislature, which will change the dynamic of annual budget talks and could impact Long Island Bus funding.

Elsewhere

While transportation had nothing to do with the national attention paid to the race in New York’s 23rd Congressional District, won by Democrat Bill Owens, the district is home to major factories for companies like Bombardier and NovaBus, which manufacture many of the MTA’s subway cars and buses.

The only offices up for a vote in Connecticut were municipal, with Republicans picking up the Stamford mayoralty.

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Pamela Tamaddon
Pamela Tamaddon
14 years ago

Hopefully with Suozzi off the NYMTC board the metropolitan area , in particular Nassau County will have real change and improvement to our pressing infrastructure issues, commuter options, bus & rail. In fact should Suozzi not prevail the “direct deposit” of taxpayers money for a second and useless “Ferry Terminal” sans ferry boat operator, in his home town of Glen Cove will not only stop but be investigated.

Suozzi spent 8 years furthering his own personal agenda, and spewing PC buzz words, “New Suburbia, Cool Downtowns, etc. without ever acomplishing anything and in the end never really knowing what he was talking about in the first place.

Ray
Ray
14 years ago

The press rails about Bloomberg’s margin of victory being small and expect him to be “humbled”. I don’t quite know what that means, but I’m sure we will all be waiting a long time for the personality shift. Is that what we really want in NYC… a “humble” mayor? Hell no if you ask me.

Here’s why we won’t see a change. He continues with his previous mandate – and we all know it. Few speak of the near historic low voter turnout. My district in Greenwich Village had under 300 total voters. In my mind, APATHY = SATISFACTION. The public expects him to continue his incredible initiatives – including transportation related projects. Team Bloomberg has a plan and they will continue to execute against it. God protect them.

The mandate comes from three historic votes of confidence at the polls (crossing party lines). A Democratically controlled council that endorses his initiatives (who wouldn’t?). Incredible respect from Albany and Washington (and from mayors, governors and heads of state abroad). And the maintenance of a now famous and yet to be domestically matched executive team with the ability to conceive, articulate (brand) and execute. Let’s argue if NY is on the right path – shall we?

How quickly we forget that our mayor used to run a media company. He knows how the game works much better than those trying to push him off his pedestal or “sell a competing product”. Thank goodness this time suck of an election is over and he can get back to work. (There isn’t an honest Democrat anywhere that wanted Bloomberg gone)

For $1 – I’d say its the best investment we’ve ever made.

I fear, NJ bought a product without reading the label. More accurately, there was no label. Prayers for friends and family across the Hudson that Chris Christie emerges as a transit powerhouse.

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