Cuomo, De Blasio Play Blame Game Over Struggling Subway System
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – A day after subway mayhem, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio played the blame game Wednesday.
Cuomo said the subway won't be fixed unless de Blasio and the city make a sizable financial contribution. But riders told CBS2's Political Reporter Marcia Kramer they want lawmakers to ditch the bickering and make the system work.
It's hard to identify the worst part of Tuesday's subway meltdown. The stalled service that made people late to work? The packed trains? Few buses so the lines snaked forever? It was a mess.
But when Kramer asked Cuomo about it, he pointed to frenemy de Blasio – his favorite punching bag. The governor said the mayor has not ponied up his half of the budget for the subway repair plan.
"The subway system is the lifeblood of New York, and we need New York City to fund its half, because you can't implement half a plan," Cuomo said.
It's a battle that's been going on for months. The MTA has a $836 million emergency repair plan -- $418 million is the city's share.
An MTA spokesperson said the repair plan would fix the very signal problems that caused Tuesday's debacle.
De Blasio, however, said the buck stops with Cuomo, who runs the MTA.
"Instead of shirking his responsibility to riders, the governor should fix the subways," Press Secretary Eric Phillips said.
Many riders said they're fed up with the finger pointing.
"Stop the personal gripe between the both of you. Sit down… resolve it. Let's get it done. We pay you enough, it's time," Manny Rosa, of Astoria, told Kramer. "Some people, it took over two hours to get to work yesterday."
"I just want to see the subways fixed. I think they both have responsibility for the subway to move," said Herman Smith, of the Bronx. "I'm fed up."
"What happened the day before yesterday? What happened over the weekend? We didn't have no N trains, no W trains, no R trains, no trains. And if you decide to take a cab, you get stuck on the bridge," Cibrian Grosu, of Astoria, added.
Wednesday was a relatively quiet day on the subways – only a minor signal problem was reported on the J train early in the morning.