FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

29 June 2010

Press Contact: Doug Biviano, (917) 257-3652

Biviano Targets MTA Cuts,

Decries Albany Inaction,
Proposes Plan to Restore Full Service with No Fare or Tax Hikes

Brooklyn, NY -- New York State Assembly Candidate Doug Biviano today proposed a bold plan to protect transit service and put the MTA's operating budget back in the black.  Biviano’s plan would attack the state’s bloated $30.6 billion debt to be serviced over the next 24 years, while offering reforms to trim fat and maintain services for the millions of New Yorkers that depend on our public transportation system.

“We need to come together and demand that our elected officials stand up for public transit,” Biviano announced at a recent rally in Cobble Hill.  “The MTA’s been an absolute mess for way too long, and our representatives haven’t done anything to seize control of the situation.  Our municipal transit system is the lifeblood of our communities, and it can be the most efficient, green system in the world.  But we need to elect Assemblymembers who have the guts to stand up to entrenched interests in Albany and force change.”

According to the Fiscal Policy Institute's brief Balancing the New York State Budget in an Economically Sensible Manner:

Since the federal government is responsible for overall macroeconomic management, it makes sense for the federal government to provide fiscal relief to the states during recessions to reduce the amount of budget cutting and tax increasing necessary at the state level. If the federal government doesn’t help the states during recessions, then state budget-balancing actions will cancel out a greater portion of the positive impact of federal stimulus efforts.

A responsible New Yorker doesn't want something for nothing.  In this spirit Biviano, a Cornell educated professional civil engineer and father of three, is calling for a 0.5-percent interest infrastructure loan from the federal government as a centerpiece of his plan.  “Between federal stimulus money and, to create an infrastructure bank, the Rebuilding America's Infrastructure Act currently under debate in Congress, there is money available for us to defend our transit system and make it sustainable going forward,” declared Biviano.  The candidate’s proposed loan would refinance the MTA's bond obligations and shed $726 million annually from the MTA's operating budget over a 25 year repayment term (sources and calculations attached).  This would help provide the funding required to close the budget deficit while restoring full transit service with no fare or tax hikes, and no additional debt.

Biviano's plan was welcomed by voters at a festival on Smith Street last Sunday, many of whom talked about how badly the MTA cuts will hurt their families.  Biviano decried the inability of Albany incumbents to come up with even a single idea.  "Why isn't Joan Millman showing leadership on this issue?  Millman has not offered one way forward.  Brooklyn deserves a representative with a strong voice and the engineering know-how to get the job done in these times of need."

* Doug Biviano will be handing out his MTA plan to transit users at the 2-3 Clark Street Subway Station in Brooklyn Heights on Wednesday morning from 7:30 to 9:30 A.M. and other transit hubs throughout the week.

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