With a May 1st deadline for Albany to get something done in order to save commuters from the entire wrath of proposed MTA fare hikes and service cuts, Governor Paterson is continuing his aggressive push for legislators to take action. Yesterday he spoke in support of former MTA Commissioner Richard Ravitch and his rescue plan. Paterson said, “He brought back a plan that won the approval of every reasonable point of view from different sides. Except in Albany. It’s a different planet. As we like to point out, there is no gravity.”
Ravitch was being honored for a lifetime achievement award yesterday by the Regional Plan Association amidst being caught in a public war of words Brooklyn State Senator Carl Kruger. After hearing Ravitch's latest plan, Kruger called him "a lunatic" with "a flight of mental instability." Yesterday Ravitch said, "I hope they do not back off and make Senator Kruger a hero out of this process. That would be a tragedy."
Paterson was in one of his playful moods yesterday, saying of Kruger's attack, “I don’t think it’s appropriate … to in any way engage in any acrimony or criticism without any real basis...I’m looking for who did it; maybe after this event, they will step outside. I do have that visual problem, so that will make it a fair fight."
The Working Families Party staged protests around the bailout stalemate outside the offices of five state senators, including Kruger's. Their Executive Director Dan Cantor told the News, "No plan is perfect, but doing nothing is just unacceptable."
