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Save The Booths June 29, 2003 Q.: Why were public authorities created, anyway? A.:So politicians could cover themselves when it comes to unpopular
moves. Let us consider - just for example - the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is controlled by Gov. Pataki's appointees, who raised subway fares and bridge and tunnel tolls while the governor hid behind his desk. Upon that very desk, though, will soon land a bill that will force him into making a decision on the fate of the 62 subway station booths scheduled to close this year - over the protests of the city's train riders, who happen to believe they're a lot safer when booth clerks are present. It's true that subway crime has measurably decreased. All the same, the Legislature heard a genuine public outcry during the MTA's fare-increase hearings. So, too, should Pataki, when he examines the proposal to postpone the MTA-mandated closings for three years until a panel of experts issues a new report on how best to fight crime and terrorism underground. The governor's appointees declare that it's more important to save $2.3 million a year than to keep the 62 targeted booths open. They're wrong. Each booth in the city has an emergency button that a clerk can instantly press to alert police to muggings, sick passengers and lost children. Last year, clerks pressed those buttons 60,186 times. The governor has a choice. He can sign the legislation and keep the booths open by law. Or he can directly order his MTA minions not to close them in the first place. Either way, on this issue, Pataki cannot hide behind a public authority. Or his desk.
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