Keep it coming, Corey

In the job barely a week, new City Council Speaker Corey Johnson has taken some big steps in the right direction, breaking with wrongheaded policies of both Mayor de Blasio and departed Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. In contrast with de Blasio, Johnson quite correctly thinks that the city, as the owner of the allimportant subways, should be “putting up a significant amount of money” to pay for rehab of the trains. Gov. Cuomo says the TA needs $800 million now and that the state and city should go halfsies. De Blasio piggishly won’t ante up a cent.

In another smart 180 from de Blasio’s obstinacy, Johnson wisely backs congestion pricing to toll the East River bridges and plow the revenue into transit. Drivers, who cause traffic jams and pollution and who have higher incomes than riders, should chip in. Cuomo is soon due to present the details of his congestion pricing plan; support from the speaker should help persuade legislators.

Johnson also says he wants to reform the often infuriating way the 51-member Council works.

Under Mark-Viverito, individual members had an absolute veto over land use issues in their districts. That held projects of citywide significance hostage to parochial concerns.

Johnson rightly wants to limit a member’s power to kill a deal. Of course a member’s view should be weighed and considered, but no district is an island, even if, with the exception of the Bronx, all districts are on islands.

It’s also wise of Johnson to end secret bill-drafting that keeps members unable to pursue legislation because a colleague requested it earlier. And that info is wrongly kept under wraps, keeping the public in the dark about the workings of their government.

It’s early yet, but we like what we see.