MTA names new top spokesman

A veteran newspaper reporter is the new top spokesman for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

The MTA Wednesday named Adam Lisberg to the position of director of external communications, effective March 30. Lisberg replaces Jeremy Soffin, who held the job of MTA press secretary for four years before resigning this month.

Lisberg, of Brooklyn, most recently worked as the editor of City & State, a newspaper and website covering New York government and politics. Before that, he worked for the New York Daily News as its City Hall bureau chief and as a columnist. Lisberg held other journalism jobs at The Record in Bergen County, N.J., and at The Burlington Free Press in Vermont.

"Adam is an award-winning journalist who is joining us at an exciting time as we attempt to change both the operation and the image of the MTA," MTA chairman Joseph Lhota said in a statement. "His talents and experience will be instrumental in shaping our message as we move forward."

Lisberg will lead a team of nine media relations employees at New York City Transit, the Long Island Rail Road, Metro-North Railroad and MTA Bridges and Tunnels. Information about his salary was not available Wednesday.

In a statement, he said he is excited to "help the MTA deliver its message to the millions of people it serves across a wide range of media."

"Mass transit is the lifeblood of New York City and the surrounding counties," Lisberg said. "As the MTA tackles enormous construction projects at a time of financial strain, I'm looking forward to helping the agency explain its challenges and its achievements to the millions of people who rely on it."

SEE PHOTOSLIRR trains and commuters through the years