Skip to content

Rumor Mill: The MTA’s Next Chairman

Last night the Tri-State Transportation Campaign honored Elliot "Lee" Sander, at its annual gala. Sander was Commissioner of New York City's Department of Transportation for two years during the Giuliani administration, he is a vice president at DMJM Harris, co-chairman of the Empire State Transportation Alliance, and Director of the Rudin Center for Transportation Policy & Management at NYU's Wagner School. A lot of the more progressive players and policy wonks I chatted with last night believe -- and hope -- that Sander will be the Metropolitan Transit Authority's next chairman.

lee_sander2.jpgLast night the Tri-State Transportation Campaign honored Elliot “Lee” Sander, at its annual gala. Sander was Commissioner of New York City’s Department of Transportation for two years during the Giuliani administration, he is a vice president at DMJM Harris, co-chairman of the Empire State Transportation Alliance, and Director of the Rudin Center for Transportation Policy & Management at NYU’s Wagner School. A lot of the more progressive players and policy wonks I chatted with last night believe — and hope — that Sander will be the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s next chairman.

Just imagine: A transportation policy expert running the region’s most important transportation agency rather than a Republican real estate mogul.

Photo of Aaron Naparstek
Aaron Naparstek is the founder and former editor-in-chief of Streetsblog. Based in Brooklyn, New York, Naparstek's journalism, advocacy and community organizing work has been instrumental in growing the bicycle network, removing motor vehicles from parks, and developing new public plazas, car-free streets and life-saving traffic-calming measures across all five boroughs. He was also one of the original cast members of the "War on Cars" podcast. You can find more of his work on his website.

Streetsblog has migrated to a new comment system. New commenters can register directly in the comments section of any article. Returning commenters: your previous comments and display name have been preserved, but you'll need to reclaim your account by clicking "Forgot your password?" on the sign-in form, entering your email, and following the verification link to set a new password — this is required because passwords could not be carried over during the migration. For questions, contact tips@streetsblog.org.

More from Streetsblog New York City

To Protect And Swerve: NYPD Cop Has 547 Speeding Tickets Yet Remains On The Force

April 23, 2026

Thursday’s Headlines: Having a Cow Edition

April 23, 2026

Two Little Too Late: Mamdani Shifts Private Carting Reforms Toward Safety for Remaining Pair of Contracts

April 22, 2026

Keep New York Moving: Antonio Reynoso’s Six-Point Plan for Transit That Matches Our Reality 

April 22, 2026

Exclusive: Mamdani Picks Construction Chief Eager to Speed Up Street Redesigns

April 22, 2026
See all posts