BP Fossella, United Federation of Teachers to Make Joint Announcement Regarding New Lawsuit Against Congestion Pricing
Staten Island, NY – Borough President Vito Fossella and UFT President Michael Mulgrew made an announcement concerning congestion pricing at a press conference in Borough Hall Plaza on Thursday, January 4th, at 11:00 AM.
According to the UFT Twitter page, “Today, our union, along with teachers who work at schools in Manhattan and the Bronx as well as Staten Island Borough President filed a federal lawsuit asking the court to halt the implementation of congestion pricing in Manhattan.
“In our lawsuit, we assert that this program, scheduled to go into effect this spring, cannot be put in place without the completion of a thorough environmental impact statement that includes the potential effects of the plan on the city’s air quality.
“The current plan would not eliminate air and noise pollution or traffic, but would simply shift that pollution and traffic to the surrounding areas, particularly Staten Island, the Bronx, upper Manhattan and Northern New Jersey, causing greater environmental injustice in our city”
Borough President Fossella has long been a vocal opponent of the city’s congestion pricing, which will cost Staten Island residents $15 to enter Manhattan below 60th St.
The “tolling program”, which is currently in its public comment period, is set to begin as early as June. When the public comment period for the program began, the Borough President invited Staten Islanders to voice their concerns to the MTA.
Banner Image: NYC Congestion. Image Credit – Luke Stackpoole
BP Vito Fossella
The Office of the Borough President has a responsibility to advocate for the entire Borough of Staten Island and all its residents, and represents the Borough's interests within City government. The Borough President communicates directly with the Mayor and the City Council to emphasize Staten Island’s budget priorities. In addition, the Borough President is responsible for reviewing major land use decisions and proposing sites for city facilities within the Borough. As the chair of the Borough Board, the Borough President leads Staten Island’s City Council delegation and Community Board chairs in the process of reviewing and approving the transfer of public properties to private use. The Borough President’s Office houses the Borough's Topographical Bureau, which maintains the borough’s official maps and assigns street addresses. The Borough President monitors the delivery of city services on Staten Island, and acts as a liaison between residents and city agencies when problems arise to devise solutions. The Borough President is also responsible for appointing one member to the Panel for Educational Policy and one member to the City Planning Commission, as well as some 150 members to Staten Island’s three community boards.