12 Will NYC get its subways & buses back?
QUEENS WEEKLY, JAN. 13, 2019
BY MARK HALLUM
City Council Speaker
Corey Johnson is not only
gauging riders for their
opinions on the MTA, but is
aiming to create a proposal
where the city takes back its
subways and buses.
The announcement
came at the 74th Street station
on the 7 line in Jackson
Heights during the Monday
evening rush.
After gathering surveys
from the straphangers filtering
through turnstiles,
Johnson said it was time for
the city to manage its own
transit after years of decline
under state management.
NYC Transit was not always
controlled by the state
government; the city relinquished
control while in
bankruptcy during the ‘70s
and ‘80s, a notoriously dangerous
time for the subway
riders in particular.
But Johnson thinks it is
time to reclaim control.
“It’s a very detailed conversation
that we have to
have and I’m going to have
more to say in a detailed way
over the next two months,”
Johnson said. “It’s similar
— though not exactly the
same — as the conversation
around mayoral control of
the schools … If we take over
the MTA, New York City
Transit, which I support,
breaking out the Long Island
Rail Road and Metro-North
from that and just taking
the NYC Transit, we would
still going to state support
and money. The schools still
needed state support and
money when we took it over.
So there’s something still
something analogous in that
way, but it’s a conversation
we’re going to have.”
Johnson, in addition to
being City Council speaker,
currently serves as the
acting public advocate; he
will occupy that office until
voters choose a new public
advocate in the Feb. 26
special election.
His visit to Queens was
one of five stops he is making
to measure straphanger woes
and speak about his proposal
which he will likely use as
fodder to convince the state
government to turn over the
assets and infrastructure of
the city transit system.
But the governor and
MTA may not need that
much convincing.
A year and a half after
Gov. Andrew Cuomo called
for a state of emergency to
address the deteriorating
subway system, Cuomo
stated at an editorial board
meeting with the New
York Daily News on Jan.
7 that the MTA should be
scrapped altogether.
“Blow up the MTA. Blow
it up,” Cuomo was quoted
as saying, meaning that the
state agency should be rebuilt
from the ground up in
the style of Port Authority.
Cuomo claimed the governor’s
office has no control
over the MTA, although it appoints
the majority of board
members and supplies the
funds, but said remodeling
it like Port Authority would
give him direct control.
“The MTA is so tedious to
deal with that it developed a
boutique industry of people
who just are willing to deal
with this thing called the
MTA,” Cuomo said, according
to the Daily News. “And
the people who know how to
do it normally came from
the MTA and then go to the
contractor and that’s why
they know how to make the
connection.”
Johnson said he is not the
first to call for the city to retake
its subways and buses,
but thinks it is something
that needs to be earnestly explored.
He has yet to formally
speak with the Cuomo or the
MTA about his plan.
Newly sworn-in state
Assemblywoman Catalina
Cruz, who represents Jackson
Heights, said turning
over operations of NYC
Transit was something she
campaigned on.
“The first step in solving
a problem is figuring out the
depth of that problem,” Cruz
said. “We don’t know how
bad the MTA is. We know
that the trains don’t arrive,
that if the 7 breaks then the
E breaks, the R breaks, everything
breaks. But it’s always
useful to get concrete
data and everyday stories of
people and how terrible the
service really is.”
She said the subways and
buses are “a mammoth of a
system” that needs a new approach
to fix and that could
start with mayoral control
with oversight from the state.
City Councilman Daniel
Dromm and newly swornin
State Sen. Jessica Ramos
were also present at Johnson’s
press conference, held
in the foyer of the Jackson
Heights station.
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
South Jamaica hip-hop
artist and author Roberto
Torres — also known as Sabor
Latino — is the spreading
the importance of a college
education in his new
fourth book entitled, “My
Alma Mater Lehman College,”
debuting in February.
“My Alma Mater Lehman
College” includes
some of Torres’ detailed
observations during his
time in graduate school
at Lehman College — located
at 250 Bedford Park
Blvd W. in the Bronx.
Torres believes his new
book will inspire many
individuals around the
world to go back to school
and understand the value
of a college education.
“Life is what you
make it, work hard and
never give up on your
dreams,” said Torres,
who graduated from Lehman
College with a master’s
degree in Education
and a minor in Administration
in January 2017.
“I want people to understand
the importance of education,”
Torres said. “Yes,
it’s very difficult whether
it’s your bachelors or masters
degree…but if I can do
it, they can do it too because
they’ll be able to bring so
much more to the table and
will be prepared.”
Prior to publishing his
recent book, Torres has
penned and published
three previous books:
an autobiography titled
“Sabor Latino: My Life”
(2015); “Sabor Latino:
Mis Grandes Canciones y
Poemas” (2017); and “125
Quotes Gathered From My
Life Observatio ns” (2018).
He is working on his
fifth book titled “You Are
a Beautiful and Special
Person,” which set to be
released in April.
The South Jamaica artist
is also recognized for his
positive music that inspires,
uplifts and motivates young
people; he has one hip-hop
album titled “Observaciones
de mi vida Vol. 1.”
“I want readers to take
away the importance of
never giving up in life,” said
Torres. “I want them to exercise
their talents, be productive
members of society, and
for the youth to value education
and their parents.”
Torres works as a preventive
case planner for a
children’s welfare agency
at a New York City School.
He hopes his books will
inspire others to believe
in themselves and create
positive change.
“No matter where you
came from you can be
successful in life,” said
Torres.
“My Alma Mater Lehman
College” will be available
on Kindle, book-baby,
Barnes and Noble, and
other online bookstores.
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718)
260–4526.
Council Speaker Corey Johnson surveyes subway riders with Councilman Danny Dromm (r.).
Photo by Mark Hallum
Jamaica author stresses value of college education
South Jamaica hip-hop artist and author Roberto Torres will be
releasing his fourth publication titled “My Alma Mater Lehman
College” in February. Courtesy of Roberto Torres