One of the three nominees Suffolk County Executive Edward Romaine forwarded to Albany for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board, Marc Herbst has been accepted by Gov. Kathy Hochul.
The head of the Long Island Contractors' Association, Herbst previously served for five years in the State Assembly. The governor called the nominee a "seasoned leader with extensive knowledge of the transportation sector” and said, "He will be a strong voice for riders and help to ensure the MTA continues to provide excellent service.”
"I nominated Marc because he has extensive experience and knowledge of Suffolk County's infrastructure and has always understood the needs of our residents," Romaine said of the West Islip resident. The county executive has an extensive wish list for the MTA, which manages the Long Island Rail Road, including electrification of its three lines that run through Suffolk and the creation of new stations at East Yaphank and the former Lawrence Aviation site in Port Jefferson Station.
Because of his vote to approve congestion pricing in Manhattan, Romaine did not back Suffolk’s current MTA representative, Sammy Chu, for reappointment. Nevertheless, Hochul nominated him as one of her picks for the board. Both choices will need State Senate confirmation before becoming official.
Romaine proffered two other candidates as Suffolk’s MTA representative: former Long Island Builders Institute Director Mitch Pally and Mea Knapp, assistant town attorney in Islip.
A 23-member Board governs the MTA with voting members nominated by the governor, New York City's mayor, and the county executives of Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester, Dutchess, Orange, Rockland, and Putnam.
The Board also has six rotating non-voting seats held by representatives of organized labor and the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee (PCAC), which serves as a voice for users of MTA transit and commuter facilities.
The authority has an operating budget of over $19 billion annually and oversees billions more in capital construction projects. Its massive operation covers 12 counties in Downstate New York, along with portions of Connecticut, and handles over 11 million passengers on an average weekday and over 850,000 vehicles on its seven toll bridges and two tunnels.