Dollars for Democracy on Brian Lehrer Today

Today at 11:20am Brian Lehrer digs deeper into the story, published first here on Streetsblog, that congestion pricing opponent Richard Brodsky received more contributions from parking industry interests than any other New York State Assembly Member. You can tune in online. From the WNYC web site:

What’s the connection between campaign contributions and policy making? We ask Gerald Benjamin, former elected official in Ulster County, professor of liberal arts & sciences at SUNY, New Paltz. This is a follow-up to our interview with New York Assemblyman
Richard Brodsky when we asked him if his contributions from parking lot
owners had anything to do with his opposition to congestion pricing.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Brodsky Attacks Critics of His Congestion Pricing Study

By Jason Varone |
On the Brian Lehrer show this morning, Assembly Member Richard Brodsky brushed off reports of his parking industry campaign contributions and TA, RPA and Streetsblog’s substantive criticism of his congestion pricing study as a "personal attack." Here’s a transcript:  Brian Lehrer: Streetsblog, the website, reported yesterday that over the past five years you have accepted […]

Richard Brodsky: Working for the Public or the Parking Industry?

By Aaron Naparstek |
Westchester Democrat Richard Brodsky has emerged as the State Assembly’s leading critic of Mayor Bloomberg’s congestion pricing plan. Later today Brodsky will release a report on the steps of City Hall characterizing the Mayor’s congestion pricing plan as a regressive tax that puts most of the burden on poor and middle-income drivers (and ignoring the […]

The Brodsky Alternative, Take Two: $6.50 to Enter a Cab

By Brad Aaron |
His license plate rationing scheme beloved by none, this afternoon Assemblyman Richard Brodsky offered his second congestion pricing alternative: raising the $2.50 taxi "drop charge" to $6.50, increasing fines for illegal parking and blocking the box, and further cutting the number of parking placards issued to government employees. Brodsky says the taxi fare hike alone […]

Three Questions for Richard Brodsky

By Ben Fried |
We called Assemblyman Richard Brodsky yesterday to get his comments on the demise of congestion pricing. While he wouldn’t talk to us on the phone, he fielded a few questions over e-mail.  Streetsblog: With congestion pricing off the table and the deadline to receive $354M in federal support about to pass, will other traffic mitigation […]

Bloomberg Says What You’re Thinking

By Brad Aaron |
Perhaps getting tired of seeing his PlaNYC centerpiece attacked by lawmakers from outside the city, Mayor Bloomberg had some frank remarks for congestion pricing critic Assemblyman Richard Brodsky on the radio today. The Daily Politics reports: On his weekly radio show this morning, Mayor Bloomberg took a swipe at Assemblyman Richard Brodsky, the Westchester Democrat […]

Driver’s Remorse: Tardy Brodsky Delayed by “Accident”

By Ben Fried |
A tipster who attended last night’s MAS event about Moynihan Station sent us this delicious tidbit, in which some small measure of justice is served for Westchester Assemblyman Richard Brodsky’s contribution to the killing of congestion pricing: Scheduled to appear at a panel discussion on the fate of Moynihan Station beginning at 6:30 pm Tuesday […]