New York lawmakers called for the governor-appointed chairman of the New York City transit system to be fired amid accusations he downplayed a rash of subway crime to praise new Manhattan tolls that are aimed at driving commuters underground.
In comments on a Bloomberg podcast, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber argued that crime on the MTA has declined and that the recent viral incidents are giving an impression of a system-wide safety crisis.
“The overall stats are positive. Last year, we [had] actually 12.5% less crime than 2019 . . . , ” he said.
“But there’s no question that some of these high-profile incidents; terrible attacks, have gotten in people’s heads and made the whole system feel less safe.”
SUBWAY MAYHEM SPURS CUOMO TO URGE HALT TO NEW NYC DRIVING TAX
Sen. Steve Rhoads, at podium, and members of the New York State Senate call for MTA chairman Janno Lieber’s ouster. (NYS Senate GOP official photo)
Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., shared a clip of Lieber ceremonially unveiling one of the new “Congestion Pricing” setups near Lincoln Center and said the agency “needs an enema; starting with Janno Lieber.”
“Imagine being such an a–hole as to celebrate screwing New Yorkers out of their hard-earned money just for the privilege to drive to work,” Lawler wrote, adding that Hochul “needs to be defeated in 2026.”
Lieber ripped Lawler in response, telling MSNBC that the Rockland County lawmaker was dabbling in “grievance politics.”
Lieber claimed that a plurality of Lawler’s constituents – in bedroom communities 30 miles north of the city – already rely on mass transit and that only “one percent” make the daily drive down the Palisades to the “congestion-pricing” zone.
HOCHUL CHRISTMASTIME BOAST OF SAFER SUBWAYS CAME AMID STRING OF ALARMING VIOLENT ATTACKS
MTA Chairman Janno Lieber and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (Getty)
New York’s new $9 toll to enter any part of Manhattan below Central Park has enraged commuters, as well as residents within its bounds.
Commuters from Long Island found themselves bottlenecked in trying to access the last unaffected entry to Manhattan – the Upper Level of the Queensboro Bridge.
One East Side luxury building’s exit also unintentionally forced residents through a toll gantry, even if they are trying to go uptown; away from the zone, while outer neighborhoods braced for a deluge of suburbanites looking for parking to avoid the toll.
New York Senate Deputy Minority Leader Andrew Lanza, R-Staten Island, torched Lieber:
“Janno: pull…
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