MTA big: Yep, we use sketchy firms

CALL IT a 12-stop program.

An MTA executive admitted Monday that the transit agency hires notoriously corrupt contractors in hopes of straightening them out.

“New York City Transit, and the MTA as a whole, for many, many, many years — certainly for the 30 years that I’ve been here and for many before that — have looked at this as a rehabilitative organization,” Senior Vice President Stephen Plochochi said at a transit committee meeting. “We don’t take this lightly, we don’t let them get away with it.”

The statement by Plochochi (photo) came after MTA board member Charles Moerdler read a list of corruption convictions of two MTA contractors.

“My issue is when people commit crimes from bribery to worse we have a public responsibility as fiduciaries to make sure there is no reoccurrence,” Moerdler said calling for high-level monitoring of rogue contractors.

“If we have other companies out there that are willing to do the work, why on earth would we want to continue to go back to the well and deal with people who have repeatedly shown themselves to not rehabilitate their behavior?” asked board member Peter Ward. Andy Byford, president of NYC Transit, said the contracts the transit committee was considering were necessary and needed to be approved. He gave assurances that monitors would be installed to oversee both contractors.