In this letter to Governor David Paterson, CBC President Carol Kellermann agrees, for the most part, with a report released by the Commission on Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Financing but offers suggestions for improvement. Specifically, CBC supports legislation to implement the Commission’s core recommendations (with revision), which are highlighted in the testimony. The testimony then offers five suggestions to improve the recommendations of the Commission.

This testimony by CBC President Carol Kellermann emphasizes the major opportunity of the Ravitch Commission to create change and build a solid foundation of an effective mass transit system for the coming years. The testimony defines the problem facing the MTA, provides guiding principles, and offers specific solutions that the Commission should consider.

In this testimony, CBC expresses its support of congestion pricing as a mechanism for achieving a sensible and consistent approach to financing public transportation in the New York region. Mass transit is essential to the functioning of the region’s economy, and reliable financing is essential to reliable mass transit.