Building Congress Event
ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING & CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY LUNCHEON FORUM MANDARIN ORIENTAL NEW YORK
LHOTA TALKS MTA, SANDY AND MAYORAL ASPIRATIONS AT NEW YORK BUILDING CONGRESS ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Virtually everyone in the crowd of more than 550 people at the New York Building Congress Annual Membership Meeting and Luncheon Forum on January 14 had one question in mind for keynote speaker Joseph J. Lhota.
And Mr. Lhota, who recently resigned as Chairman and CEO of the Metropolitan Authority (MTA) amid speculation of a run for New York City Mayor, did not disappoint.
"I would not have left the MTA - a job and a position that I love - if I was not going to run for Mayor of New York," he said in the opening minute of his remarks.
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Having dispensed with any suspense in the room, Mr. Lhota then proceeded to the main topic of his presentation - the widely-praised restoration of subway service in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy.
According to Mr. Lhota, "the MTA bounced back faster than any other government agency," restoring bus service within hours and the bulk of the subway system within a day and a half of the devastating storm.
While Mr. Lhota himself garnered well-deserved recognition for his leadership, he was quick to heap praise on others. M.T.A. workers - union workers - deserve the lion's share of the credit because they did a heroic job. It really was a partnership between management and labor.
He also credited his immediate predecessors Eliot Sander and Jay Walder, saying the "the MTA response was a direct result of changes previously made" at the agency. A large part of those efforts focused on better communications and transparency, which bore fruit after the storm. "The public was told over and over again what was working and what wasn't."
He added, "MTA is so much better than the reputation that it has." The MTA, he said, has historically been treated "like a piñata" by the news media and politicians. According to Mr. Lhota, however, the storm has changed all that.
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Mr. Lhota concluded by calling on the design, construction and real estate industry to band together with others in the business and civic community to push for stable and dedicated sources of revenue for mass transit operations as well as the capital budget.
He said that this additional funding is vital to support a mass transit network that is "the circulatory system of the entire economy of New York City."
The Annual Membership Meeting portion of the agenda included reports on Building Congress membership growth, finances and highlights of 2012 events and policy initiatives. MaryAnne Gilmartin, EVP/Director of Commercial & Residential Development for Forest City Ratner Companies delivered greetings and thanked the industry for their contribution to Forest City Ratner Companies successful Barclays Center project. Luncheon attendees were entered in a drawing for a chance to win 2 round-trip first class, international tickets, courtesy of United Airlines.
The New York Building Congress, a broad based membership association celebrating 92 years, is committed to promoting the growth and success of the construction industry in New York City and its environs.
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