Bill's first deputy mayor has transit chops

Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio Wednesday announced that he picked a veteran in city government with transportation experience to be his first deputy mayor and oversee day-to-day operations.

Anthony Shorris' long resume includes stints as director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey under Gov. Eliot Spitzer, director of NYU's Rudin Center for Transportation Policy and Management and a board director for the Regional Plan Association. Outside of transportation, he held city government posts such as deputy budget director, finance commissioner and deputy chancellor at the Department of Education. He is now a senior vice president at NYU Langone Medical Center.

"I don't think I know anyone who has this range of experience and achievement," de Blasio said at a news conference.

Mitchell Moss, the current director of the Rudin Center, touted Shorris' knowledge of government finances and key agencies. Moss also credited Shorris as being the "key force" in working with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to get NYU Langone back in operation after Superstorm Sandy.

"Tony has firsthand experience running a transportation agency," Moss said. "We're going to have a first deputy mayor with direct operational experience in transportation, which is very rare."