MIKE’S SUBWAY DOUBLE TALK:

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BLOOMBERG’S WORDS:

“WE HAVE UNDERFUNDED

MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENTS FOR DECADES”!

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BLOOMBERG’S DEEDS:

HAS CUT FUNDING FOR MAINTENANCE AND IMPROVEMENTS

BY $25 MILLION A YEAR

New York City – Today, on his weekly radio show, Mayor Bloomberg complained that “we have under funded” subway “maintenance and improvements for decades” and that “there’s only a limited amount of money” for repairs.

He’s right.

But it’s Mayor Bloomberg who’s to blame. The Mayor has:

• Cut the City’s contribution to the MTA Capital Plan from $100 million a year to $75 million a year.

• Invested less than any Mayor in the MTA’s Capital Plan. In 1981, the City contributed 16% to the capital budget, but now the City contributes an all time low of 2%.

• Given away a prized MTA asset—the Hudson Rail Yards—at a fraction of the market price.

“The Mayor makes it sound like you’d need a forensic accountant to figure out why the subways are so strapped for cash,” said Rep. Weiner. “All he needs is a mirror. If you can always hop into your trusty limo, the epidemic of subway delays might not seem like such a big deal. Most of us aren’t so lucky.”

Weiner proposes a reorganization of the MTA executive board to give the City control over the subways.

Under the Weiner plan, the Mayor would get 8 appointments and the Governor’s share would be reduced to 4.