The Eagle reports that Governor Cuomo has named Heights resident Joseph Lhota to serve as chair of the MTA. Lhota previously served as the MTA’s chief executive, and is credited with leading the agency’s quick response to the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy in 2012. He later ran unsuccessfully as the GOP candidate for for Mayor, losing to Bill De Blasio.
In his new role, Lhota will serve as a non-executive chair, with a one dollar a year salary. He will retain his position as senior vice president, vice dean and chief of staff at NYU Langone Medical Center. Lhota will be engaged in the search for a new CEO for the MTA, and will be active in planning strategy for dealing with the system’s extensive problems.
