Newsday reports that one of the three companies bidding to privately operate Nassau County’s bus system has close connections with the lobbying and consulting firm of Nassau GOP heavyweight and former U.S. Senator Alfonse D’Amato. According to Newsday (the mobile version of the article is not behind a paywall):
Veolia Transportation hired D’Amato’s firm, Park Strategies, to help secure a contract with Nassau to take over operation of Long Island Bus, which has about 100,000 daily weekday riders. Veolia — the largest of the three bidders — is working with Park Strategies vice president Robert McBride, a well-known GOP supporter who held a Jan. 27 fundraiser in his Hicksville home for [Nassau County Executive Ed] Mangano. At the time, bidding for the LI Bus contract had closed.
The news comes two days after County Executive Mangano’s second State of the County address, where he barely mentioned the plight facing LI Bus riders, workers and businesses. A week ago, State Senators Dean Skelos, Chuck Fuschillo and Jack Martins showed incredible leadership by increasing state funding for the system by $8.6 million, preventing proposed cuts through the end of the year. But the County Executive used his speech to lambaste the MTA and continue pushing a vague plan to privatize the bus system and run it on a shoestring budget.
Such a plan could lead to severe service cuts and fare hikes. But so far, Nassau County has refused to release any details of the privatization bids it has received. Repeated requests for that information, filed by Tri-State under the state Freedom of Information Law, have been rebuffed.
This article about Mangano does not surprise me at all .This Long island Bus Issue has become a personal matter between the MTA and Mangano. Is the new bus company going to respond to emergencies. Are they going to run the buses in areas where there is low ridership. While MR Mangano is only going to offer a small subsidy how will they keep up with all the maintence on the buses and offer training to the drivers. I cant understand why he will not accept the MTAs offer. Instead he will spend the taxpayers money on studies to pick a new bus system.
Wait until veolia takes over the wastewater for the county with a multi mill. up front payment
Just another D’amato/Mangano “juggernaut” attack on the people of Nassau County. What, you haven’t stolen enough already?
[…] image, either. In addition to the county’s confusing privatization math, a recent Newsday report has raised questions about the relationship between the county and its bidders. With Nassau […]