MTA bid to hire another honcho
The MTA is looking to bring in a new boss.
A job description circulated last week and obtained by the Daily News shows the agency is seeking a new chief operating officer, a position previously held by Phil Eng but left vacant since he became Long Island Rail Road president in April 2018.
The exec will oversee the agency’s division presidents, including Eng and NYC Transit chief Andy Byford, and will act as a liaison for “senior government leaders,” according to the job description.
The timing of the candidate search is curious — Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials and board members are mulling over a cost-cutting reorganization plan that will lead to numerous layoffs and is expected to reduce Byford’s responsibilities.
The new boss will help execute that plan, which must be approved by the MTA board by the end of July.
“Who knows how the COO fits in?” asked John Kaehny, executive director of good government group Reinvent Albany. “If New York State was a healthy democracy, decisions about who is running the largest single part of our state government, the MTA, would be made in daylight with plenty of public notice, board debate and consultation with stakeholders.”
MTA spokesman Max Young said the agency is “seeking to attract world-class talent from the across the globe” amid the turnover.
“This is a key part of the MTA’s efforts to provide our customers with the modern and efficient transit service they deserve,” Young said.
The job description also shows the MTA’s upcoming plans for infrastructure improvements. The posting promises that the COO will help oversee the addition of 50 new ADA-accessible subway stations and the modernization of the subway’s outdated signaling system from 2020 to 2024. The plan to make 50 more stations handicap-accessible has been thrown into question in as Gov. Cuomo has threatened to kneecap the MTA’s budget.