How Much Credit Does MTA Chairman Lhota Deserve Regarding Sandy?

[BrooklynBus]

http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/2012/12/how-much-credit-does-mta-chairman-lhota-deserve-regarding-sandy/

[User]

Well Lhota is certainly more popular than the guy who ditched us for Tokyo, Jay Walder. He didn't do much.

[qjtransitmaster]

ALOT OF CREDIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JAY WALDER went to hong kong not tokyo

[paulrivera]

He did pretty well, but it was a team effort.

 

Cuomo and his office were the ones issuing a good chunk of the MTA-related press statements/releases in the aftermath of Sandy, however... Not a big deal, just food for thought...

[S78 via Hylan]

How much credit does he deserve? A lot. Not just with Sandy, but being a more efficient chairman than Jay Walder, restoring some of the 2010 cuts, and introducing FASTRACK. Sorry for the tangent.

[mtattrain]

...who ditched us for Tokyo...

 

Yup, Hong Kong MTR is in Tokyo.

 

But in all sincerity, I believe that Lhota deserves a lot of credit.

[Amtrak7]

When I think of the two leaders who deserve the most credit, I think of Governor Cuomo and NYCT President Prendergast. Not Lhota.

[User]

ALOT OF CREDIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! JAY WALDER went to hong kong not tokyo

Yup, Hong Kong MTR is in Tokyo.

 

But in all sincerity, I believe that Lhota deserves a lot of credit.

whatever, eff him.

[BrooklynBus]

If Lhota decides to run for mayor, my opinion of him will decline. It would only prove that he is a politician doing what Republican leaders ask him to do by taking advantage of his popularity and for taking more credit than he actually deserves.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

I like the guy... He's frank and honest and he doesn't mince his words. I've seen him in person on numerous occasions and he seems quite personable. He's trying to be fiscally responsible and improve service, not an easy feat, but he's done quite well.

[BrooklynBus]

I like the guy... He's frank and honest and he doesn't mince his words. I've seen him in person on numerous occasions and he seems quite personable. He's trying to be fiscally responsible and improve service, not an easy feat, but he's done quite well.

 

 

Don't disagree. I hope he doesn't decide to run.

[Shortline Bus]

Since most of you are tired of the Sandy thread in off topic section let me repost all of the area political leader grades.

Here link. http://www.nyctransitforums.com/forums/topic/37812-hurricane-sandy-news-general-discussion-thread-non-transit/page__st__400

 

So now that the storm passed I offer my unbias grades for area political leaders handling of Sandy.

 

 

Mayor Bloomberg- -minus-The only reason it was not a failure was because the death toll in NYC was low for a historic and powerful storm like Sandy. However for 1)not ordering evacuations sooner in hard hit areas like Staten Island, Breezy Point/Rockaways, Coney Island and Red Hook, bring his grade down. 2)Ditto for wanting to run the NYC marathon until public pressure scrapped his plans. 3)Not imposing HOV restrictions for cars coming to/from Manhattan right after the storm also brings down his grade.

While not the fisaco as the Post Christmas 2010 Blizzard, Sandy was not Bloomberg's finest hour.

 

Governor Andrew Cuomo- -While he did a good job in having frequent press conferences, his downfall The LIPA fiscaso post storm.

 

Governor Chris Christie- minus-I am not a big fan of his personality but being fair, he was by far the biggest star of handling this storm as an elected offical. He was on top of the ball in ordering evacuations by Thursday a full 2-3 days before Sandy basically destroyed the Jersey Shore. Without his actions, thousands would have died. Plus putting aside his partisan afflations to work with Obama also shows he gets results.

 

MTA Boss Joe Lhota & his employees- -To basically have much of the subway system and most of the LIRR/Metro North within 5 days after mega flooding and trees all over tracks and streets is nothing short of brillliant.

 

LIPA management -Plus for mega Fail! Granted this was a historic storm but still a month after it hit to still have a couple of hundred customers without power is insane.

 

Con Edision At least all of NYC and Westchester County had power within a week after the storm.

 

Reactions?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Con Edision At least all of NYC and Westchester County had power within a week after the storm.

 

Reactions?

 

Not quite right about Con Edison. I give them a D. Many folks did not have power after a week and in fact still don't. Furthermore because of Con Ed those affected by the incident Downtown were without heat for several days. I know first hand because I had to work in the freezing cold for several days. They couldn't even give a real timetable as to when things would be restored.

[Shortline Bus]

Not quite right about Con Edison. I give them a D. Many folks did not have power after a week and in fact still don't. Furthermore because of Con Ed those affected by the incident Downtown were without heat for several days. I know first hand because I had to work in the freezing cold for several days. They couldn't even give a real timetable as to when things would be restored.

 

 

OK VG8. What about the rest of the grades post Sandy i gave?

[Via Garibaldi 8]

OK VG8. What about the rest of the grades post Sandy i gave?

 

Pretty much agree with the other grades you gave...

[BrooklynBus]

Since most of you are tired of the Sandy thread in off topic section let me repost all of the area political leader grades.

Here link. http://www.nyctransitforums.com/forums/topic/37812-hurricane-sandy-news-general-discussion-thread-non-transit/page__st__400

 

So now that the storm passed I offer my unbias grades for area political leaders handling of Sandy.

 

 

Mayor Bloomberg- -minus-The only reason it was not a failure was because the death toll in NYC was low for a historic and powerful storm like Sandy. However for 1)not ordering evacuations sooner in hard hit areas like Staten Island, Breezy Point/Rockaways, Coney Island and Red Hook, bring his grade down. 2)Ditto for wanting to run the NYC marathon until public pressure scrapped his plans. 3)Not imposing HOV restrictions for cars coming to/from Manhattan right after the storm also brings down his grade.

While not the fisaco as the Post Christmas 2010 Blizzard, Sandy was not Bloomberg's finest hour.

 

Governor Andrew Cuomo- -While he did a good job in having frequent press conferences, his downfall The LIPA fiscaso post storm.

 

Governor Chris Christie- minus-I am not a big fan of his personality but being fair, he was by far the biggest star of handling this storm as an elected offical. He was on top of the ball in ordering evacuations by Thursday a full 2-3 days before Sandy basically destroyed the Jersey Shore. Without his actions, thousands would have died. Plus putting aside his partisan afflations to work with Obama also shows he gets results.

 

MTA Boss Joe Lhota & his employees- -To basically have much of the subway system and most of the LIRR/Metro North within 5 days after mega flooding and trees all over tracks and streets is nothing short of brillliant.

 

LIPA management -Plus for mega Fail! Granted this was a historic storm but still a month after it hit to still have a couple of hundred customers without power is insane.

 

Con Edision At least all of NYC and Westchester County had power within a week after the storm.

 

Reactions?

 

 

I more or less agree with your grades but might lower Bloomberg to a D for other reasons you are probably not aware of. I received an e-mail from someone in the Rockaways that Bloomberg told Obama to fly over Staten Island rather than stop there. He also asked Obama to skip the Rockaways entirely to punish them for not evacuating as ordered. Vindictive little bastard.

 

There also was an article in Sheepsheadbites, http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/2012/12/decision-not-to-evacuate-nursing-homes-before-sandy-backfires/ that because of the expense in relocating nursing home residents after Irene which proved unnecessary, he recommended that they not be evacuated before Sandy although many were in Zone A. This caused much unnecessary hardship. When questioned afterward, he had the nerve to say that it was only a recommendation and they shoud have used their own judgement and not have listened to him. He was only concerned with money and wants to have it both ways.

[Shortline Bus]

I more or less agree with your grades but might lower Bloomberg to a D for other reasons you are probably not aware of. I received an e-mail from someone in the Rockaways that Bloomberg told Obama to fly over Staten Island rather than stop there. He also asked Obama to skip the Rockaways entirely to punish them for not evacuating as ordered. Vindictive little bastard.

 

There also was an article in Sheepsheadbites, http://www.sheepshea...dy-backfires/�� that because of the expense in relocating nursing home residents after Irene which proved unnecessary, he recommended that they not be evacuated before Sandy although many were in Zone A. This caused much unnecessary hardship. When questioned afterward, he had the nerve to say that it was only a recommendation and they shoud have used their own judgement and not have listened to him. He was only concerned with money and wants to have it both ways.

 

 

Intresting. I admit i liked Bloomberg earlier on in his tenure as Mayor i.e 2002-'04 but now he more than stayed much longer than needed. He should have "exit stage left" in 2009. Very similar to Koch, both good mayors for much of their tenure IMO that now stayed way too long and also both screwed up at the end of their long reigns. Koch with the Parking violations scandals/mishandle of Howard Beach and Bensonhurst in 1986 and '89. For Bloomberg, the 2010 Blizzard and not so great job for Sandy in 2012.

 

And on Christie. Sandy is for him what '9/11" did for Rudy G. It made him a national and even internationally known political figure that could be a contender for the white house in 2016.

[QM1to6Ave]

Cuomo had a big hand in the post-Sandy MTA plans. He was the one that pushed to have free bueses for the rest of that week, which was crucial. Lhota had no intention of doing that. In terms of LIPA and ConEd, those companies are so corrupt that there is very little the governonr can do. The fact that he got ConEd management and the union to come to a settlement in the summer is impressive enough for me.

 

Bloomberg should have evacuated NYU Hospital and ordered the rest of the evacuations earlier than he did. He completetly underplayed the storm's strength until the last hours before it hit.

 

MTA was just fantastic all around. I think the MTA shines in crises (not so much druring the rest of the year though)

 

Chris Christie was wonderful.

 

ConEd and LIPA management should rot in hell

[Shortline Bus]

Cuomo had a big hand in the post-Sandy MTA plans. He was the one that pushed to have free bueses for the rest of that week, which was crucial. Lhota had no intention of doing that. In terms of LIPA and ConEd, those companies are so corrupt that there is very little the governonr can do. The fact that he got ConEd management and the union to come to a settlement in the summer is impressive enough for me.

 

Bloomberg should have evacuated NYU Hospital and ordered the rest of the evacuations earlier than he did. He completetly underplayed the storm's strength until the last hours before it hit.

 

MTA was just fantastic all around. I think the MTA shines in crises (not so much druring the rest of the year though)

 

Chris Christie was wonderful.

 

ConEd and LIPA management should rot in hell

 

 

Keep in mind, the Gov. of state of new york does have a major say in who appointed to CEO's/Management at both LIPA and Con Ed. With that said,the Con Ed boss Burke has been on the job going back to when Pataki was in Albany in 2006.

 

http://www.forbes.com/fdc/welcome_mjx.shtml

[aemoreira81]

I'd give Christie a at best - because NJT a lot of NJT's equipment to get damaged at MMC when the eastern part of the Morristown Line and the Montclair Line could have been used for storage, along with the Raritan west of Aldene.

 

On topic of Lhota, however, I give Cuomo more of the credit as he was proactive on this and as such, damage was limited to actual infrastructure with only 2 push-pull trainsets being damaged. Lhota does deserve credit, however, as he asked repeatedly for the worst-case scenario to be run and moved all of the equipment out of harm's way.

[BrooklynBus]

Intresting. I admit i liked Bloomberg earlier on in his tenure as Mayor i.e 2002-'04 but now he more than stayed much longer than needed. He should have "exit stage left" in 2009. Very similar to Koch, both good mayors for much of their tenure IMO that now stayed way too long and also both screwed up at the end of their long reigns. Koch with the Parking violations scandals/mishandle of Howard Beach and Bensonhurst in 1986 and '89. For Bloomberg, the 2010 Blizzard and not so great job for Sandy in 2012.

 

And on Christie. Sandy is for him what '9/11" did for Rudy G. It made him a national and even internationally known political figure that could be a contender for the white house in 2016.

 

 

I feel the same as you. I liked Bloomberg only for his first term. Second, was okay. Third, a disaster. Same with Koch. Voted for him the first few times, but not for his last term. Started to get sick of him.

[User]

I wouldn't mind Lhota being mayor of NYC. Everyone knows how hard a job it is to be mayor of as busy and as big a city as ours, but I think Lhota is up to it.

[Shortline Bus]

I feel the same as you. I liked Bloomberg only for his first term. Second, was okay. Third, a disaster. Same with Koch. Voted for him the first few times, but not for his last term. Started to get sick of him.

 

 

Was too young to vote for Koch lol . However for saving NYC from the 1970's fiscal crisis, he does rank being fair among the big apple's "top mayors" of the last 100 years.

 

Thus why i am strong believer in term limits.

[BrooklynBus]

Not only did I vote for Koch, but he personally helped me with a transportation paper I wrote while I was in college when he was a congressman for the upper east side. Someone suggested I go see him. I walked in without any appointment and there he was alone sitting at a desk doing nothing. I spent about 20 minutes asking him questions. He not only answered me without ever asking where I lived, (i was out of his district) he personally xeroxed about 25 pages for me to use in my paper. It was legislation he drafted. Nowadays, it is virtually impossible to see any elected official when you go to their office. You only see their assistants. Back in those days he didn't even have a secretary or maybe she was out to lunch.

 

(In an unrelated note, my sister kept Donald Trump waiting for 30 minutes while she typed up a report he was waiting for, back around 1975. He was pulling his hair out. The next time he sent his chauffeur up to wait for it while he waited in the car. Those were the good old days.)

[B35 via Church]

Since most of you are tired of the Sandy thread in off topic section let me repost all of the area political leader grades.

Here link. http://www.nyctransi...t/page__st__400

 

So now that the storm passed I offer my unbias grades for area political leaders handling of Sandy.

 

 

Mayor Bloomberg- -minus-The only reason it was not a failure was because the death toll in NYC was low for a historic and powerful storm like Sandy. However for 1)not ordering evacuations sooner in hard hit areas like Staten Island, Breezy Point/Rockaways, Coney Island and Red Hook, bring his grade down. 2)Ditto for wanting to run the NYC marathon until public pressure scrapped his plans. 3)Not imposing HOV restrictions for cars coming to/from Manhattan right after the storm also brings down his grade.

While not the fisaco as the Post Christmas 2010 Blizzard, Sandy was not Bloomberg's finest hour.

 

Governor Andrew Cuomo- -While he did a good job in having frequent press conferences, his downfall The LIPA fiscaso post storm.

 

Governor Chris Christie- minus-I am not a big fan of his personality but being fair, he was by far the biggest star of handling this storm as an elected offical. He was on top of the ball in ordering evacuations by Thursday a full 2-3 days before Sandy basically destroyed the Jersey Shore. Without his actions, thousands would have died. Plus putting aside his partisan afflations to work with Obama also shows he gets results.

 

MTA Boss Joe Lhota & his employees- -To basically have much of the subway system and most of the LIRR/Metro North within 5 days after mega flooding and trees all over tracks and streets is nothing short of brillliant.

 

LIPA management -Plus for mega Fail! Granted this was a historic storm but still a month after it hit to still have a couple of hundred customers without power is insane.

 

Con Edision At least all of NYC and Westchester County had power within a week after the storm.

 

Reactions?

 

Not sure why so many people dislike Christie.... I think the man is real as real can get... Pulls no punches, and is rather relatable to the people he serves..... I thought Christie did a damn good job out there in jersey..... Especially w/ his handling of the gas lines & what not (the whole odd-even thing).....

 

As for "grades", I'd give Christie an [A], Lhota/MTA & Cuomo [b+], Con Edison [C-], Bloomberg a [D], and LIPA the biggest [F] I can put on a webpage.....