Norman Advocates for Change at MTA

On March 25, 2009, Norman attended the Board of Directors meeting of the MTA. Below are his remarks. Let us know how you feel about the increased fares, reduced services & layoffs.

I am here this morning to request that you do not vote to increase fares or cut services. I am a card-carrying member of the MTA Transit Club, usually a monthly member and one who regularly uses the A, B, C, D and 1,2,3,4,5,6 lines.

I’m curious as to how many of you use the trains or buses regularly. By a show of hands, how many Board Members regularly use the trains or buses?

If you go ahead with the cuts and fare increases, it will just be another reason as to why we have to come to the painful conclusion that Gov. Nelson Rockefeller’s experiment in creating the super agency MTA most likely has failed, and it is probably now time to restructure it.

Perhaps, we should have public elections to determine who sits on the Board. Or perhaps stating in the law that the Board is required to reflect the diversity of the MTA’s constituency. Perhaps, we need to spin off the New York City Transit Authority from the MTA. Perhaps like in the judicial system — an in forma pauperis category needs to be created for New Yorkers who legitimately can’t afford these fare increases in times of an economic downturn.

Perhaps on June 1, 2009, we the people who ride the trains and buses need to engage in a 1 day boycott to demonstrate to you and the elected officials that we aren’t going to take it anymore and show our potential economic and political power. And perhaps on the night of June 1, thousands of us will participate in neighborhood town hall meetings all across this great city discussing a new plan for a new transit system structure that will be more efficient than the current one.

Thank you.