Minutes - Port Authority of Allegheny County

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The Chairman announced that we will be opening with public comment and reminded the speakers that they have a maximum of three minutes and will be timed. The Chairman called on Ms. Patricia Houck. Ms. Houck is a regular Port Authority rider on the 50 Spencer Route. She explained that on September 5, Route 50 was merged from 51B and 51D. These were two routes that had full service throughout the week and on weekends. At that time, 90 percent of the service was cut when the routes were merged. Right now, the riders only have nine trips inbound and nine trips outbound on weekdays, 6:00 to 9:00 in the morning and 3:00 to 6:00 in the afternoon. This service is used by Baldwin, Brentwood and Carrick residents who work downtown or go to school in Oakland by transferring on the South Side. Ms. Houck explained that the communications she received from Port Authority recently stated that some customers will be able to take alternative routes that travel on Brownsville Road. Ms. Houck referred to a map that showed the number of people in this community that are stranded [making people walk over two miles to the bus]. In conclusion, she urged Port Authority not to strand this community. She feels that Port Authority is not connecting people to life, but disconnecting people to life. The Chairman called on Mr. Jonathan Robison, President of Allegheny County Transit Council. Mr. Robison reported that the critical issue for public transportation is can we get adequate funding to keep our transit system running. On that issue, we are all on the same side. Mr. Robison reported that he just came from a fine rally against cuts. Some harsh words were spoken, but we ultimately need to work together on this. Allegheny County Transit Council voted to recommend against the 15 percent cut and against stretching out the Governor’s funding for the next year and almost a half on the theory that the legislature and the new Governor aren’t going to do anything by June. Mr. Robison concluded his report by saying that we have to stand together, both labor and management, on the transit funding fight. The Chairman called on Mr. Patrick McMahon, president and business agent ATU, Local 85. Mr. McMahon introduced himself and stated that he represents the drivers [and the maintenance] employees who safely drive 200,000 people to their jobs every day. He announced that he is not here today to plead with this Board any longer because they simply are not listening to the public or representatives of the union. Mr. McMahon stated that he, along with his general counsel, was scheduled to meet with the Board of Directors today to present a fiscally, viable alternative plan to the drastic, painful and unnecessary cuts that the Board is about to implement on March 27. Unfortunately, the Board denied them and thousands of people that are going to suffer the burden of their actions and the opportunity to be heard by canceling the meeting. He continued saying that in our campaign to stop these cuts, we have made every effort to make the voice of the affected transit riders heard including publicly providing contact information for Mr. Bland, an elected official and every Board member so their voices could be heard. He stated, as Board members, you are public servants. You have a responsibility to hear the voice of the citizens that you serve and you cannot hide from that. You have deliberately silenced the voice of the public. You have taken their voice out of the process. Public hearings were not held and the process has moved so swiftly with virtually no input from anyone, but Steve Bland and his team, who have concocted this brutal scheme in the first place. As a public agency, you have an obligation to hold those public 2
hearings and allow the citizens an opportunity to be heard. Furthermore, the Board also has an obligation to meet and hear from any party that may have a viable, alternative plan to these devastating cuts. Mr. McMahon continued saying that he has addressed this Board two times in January and made the member aware of significant savings in the current fiscal budget. According to Mr. Mattola, Port Authority has said that my numbers are incorrect and that the Board has made their decision and is not willing to change [quote/unquote]. You are accepting the financial opinion of Steve Bland’s team who has a long history of poor decision making including just last week with a loss of $39 million of taxpayer money, which they have gambled and lost on a risky pension fund investment scam. He continued saying that what is even more troubling is Port Authority’s misleading explanation to the public about how they pay that debt. They pay that debt with taxpayer money. Whether capital or operating, but very clearly, the message to the public was we are not using operating funds and that is false. He continued saying that $16 million a year goes directly to pay off this debt service that they want the public to believe doesn’t matter and will not affect the budget. He stated that they want to blame the previous administration. “Well, you know what, Steve Bland and his administration have been here since 2005. They could have cleaned up that stuff and cut their ties, but they didn’t. They gambled with public money.” He continued saying that this is not about fixing the state budget on March 27, this is about getting the money with the intent of stopping these cuts and the Board is making the decision not to do that. That’s wrong. You should balance this budget with the Governor’s money as it was intended, and live to fight another day and do exactly what you did last year. He stated that Port Authority decided to make the decision to take the money that they were given to balance this budget and stop these cuts and change that pattern without public input. They don’t have a right to do that. They don’t have the right to just pick and choose what neighborhood succeeds and which neighborhood fails. The Board, or this management team, does not have the right to make those kinds of decisions. They have the money. Their job is to put out the service and deal with the next budget next year. It is simple, but they need to start listening. Mr. McMahon concluded his report by saying, “You, the Board of Directors, have taken the financial advice from Steve Bland and his team without question. I think it’s time you get a second opinion.” We are going to get you second opinions, thousands of them. We are going to make every effort to engage the taxpaying public in this fight. Maybe it makes sense to consider some of these opinions when you consider renewing Steve Bland’s employment contract. He’s making these kinds of decisions and he’s destroying transit. He has an alternative plan, you have an alternative plan, and if you would like to meet with us, we will still do that. We will be the people to break that budget down for you and show you where these savings. Once again, he said that he is not here to plead with the Board because they are not listening. He stated, “You have lost the message in the messenger. You have never, on this Board, worked with Local 85 and your intent is not to work with Local 85, and Steve Bland’s intent was to never work with Local 85.” In regards to what is going on in this country today, the attack of public workers, this economy is not our fault. It is not our fault, but yet you’ve joined that crowd. You’ve joined Wisconsin and Indiana in attacking the very workers who keep this system running.” 3
Page 1: PORT AUTHORITY OF ALLEGHENY COUNTY
Page 5 and 6: about four months from now, we are
Page 7 and 8: The next resolution authorizes the
Page 9 and 10: Mr. Mattola reported that although
Page 11 and 12: collaboratively with numerous commu

Minutes - Port Authority of Allegheny County

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