Wednesday, January 3, 2018

On Next Council Speaker’s Agenda: More Oversight and More Subway Aid


By J. David Goodman

After a formal vote on Wednesday, Corey Johnson is expected to become the next speaker of the New York City Council, a position second only to the mayor in terms of direct control over the most central political conflicts of city life: real estate development and the budget.

He already has big plans for the role.

In an hourlong interview, Mr. Johnson, 35, a Manhattan councilman, laid out a wide-ranging policy agenda that included congestion pricing for for-hire vehicles, municipal single-payer health care, and increased funding for the city’s beleaguered subway system.

“I would support us putting up a significant amount of money,” Mr. Johnson said of city funding for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a stance that Mayor Bill de Blasio has resisted. “But there needs to be accountability involved so we know how that money is being spent, and that it’s being spent wisely and that the projects remain on time.”

Click here for the full article. 

Source: The New York Times (via Empire Report New York) 

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