With a scant few weeks left in the session, the state Assembly has scheduled the first of six hearings on PlaNYC -- including, of course, congestion pricing -- for Friday at 10 a.m. in the auditorium of the Association of the Bar of the City of New York, at 42 West 44th Street.
The Daily Politics reports:
The hearing will be conducted by the Assembly Ways and Means Committee,chaired by Herman “Denny” Farrell, Jr.; the Transportation Committee,chaired by David Gantt; the Corporations, Authorities and CommissionsCommittee, chaired by Richard Brodsky; the Energy Committee, chaired byPaul Tonko; the Environmental Conservation Committee, chaired by RobertSweeney; and the Cities Committee, chaired by James Brennan.
But is it too little, too late? Though Mayor Bloomberg has refused to criticize state lawmakers for premature criticism of congestion pricing, the Daily News, for one, has not held back:
No bills have been introduced, no hearings held. Gov. Spitzer didn'tmention the topic when he met with legislative leaders last week, untilSenate GOP leader Joe Bruno chided him for the oversight.
At this rate, the waters of melting glaciers will be lapping at theEmpire State Building doors before Mayor Bloomberg's proposal gets outof committee. When it comes to gridlock, the Manhattan streets havenothing on the Capitol corridors.
The editorial board at the Times has expressed similar sentiments (though you'll need a subscription to read them at this point). And the News blog's Elizabeth Benjamin wonders if the hearings are a sign of progress at all.
I asked [Press Secretary] Stu Loeser whether Mayor Bloomberg plans to participate inthe Assembly Democrats' first hearing on congestion pricing inManhattan this Friday, and also if he considers the event a positivedevelopment or a stalling tactic.
Bloomberg is "looking forward" to testifying, Loeser replied,adding: "It's very encouraging that the Speaker has made it a priorityin the last month of session to find time to discuss the merits ofPlaNYC."
So what are Assembly members -- the ones who haven't already endorsed PlaNYC -- concerned about? Pricing opponent Richard Brodsky (D-Westchester) told Benjamin that Bloomberg can expect questions regarding "the consequences of installing hundreds more cameras throughout
Manhattan to determine who needs to be charged for entering the
congestion pricing zone and the idea of charging for access to public
roads based on an individual's ability to pay."
Photo: stgermh/Flickr
