Parading
Good afternoon and welcome to The Point!
Daily Point
Over a bump in the road
When Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo formed a panel he called Fix NYC to come up with a congestion-pricing plan for New York City, he didn’t invite any current city government officials to be a part of it.
Now, Long Island developer Scott Rechler, a member of the panel and chairman of the Regional Plan Association, is ready to build his own bridge between the city and Albany. He told The Point he’d like the committee, which includes suburban elected officials, union and business leaders and Metropolitan Transportation Authority representatives, to meet with New York City officials.
“We should be engaging with New York City transit people to get their views as we deliberate a solution to the situation,” Rechler said on Monday.
Seems fixing Fix NYC is the panel’s first roadblock. Now that the group is finding a way around that, perhaps it can move on to traffic and tolling.
Randi F. Marshall
Talking Point
Scooting along
A decade after the Long Island Rail Road experimented with local commuter train service on the South Fork to ease incredible gridlock on the roads, the LIRR is bringing the trains back.
But you’ll likely have to wait another two years to purchase your tickets.
The Point has learned that three daily trains are planned between Speonk and Montauk. Two will leave Speonk between 7 and 9 a.m., and a third shortly before noon. They’ll make return trips in the afternoon.
The service will help people commute to work in the Hamptons from places where they can more easily afford to live. Southampton Town Surpervisor Jay Schneiderman said he’s expecting the additional service in place by 2019. An LIRR spokesman confirmed that schedule.
The railroad tried this service from October 2007 to May 2008, when County Route 39 was being widened. At the time, then-Southampton Supervisor Patrick Heaney called the diesel “scoot” trains a real-life laboratory for how the South Fork might relieve congested roads.
Ten years later, the LIRR has determined that the experiment was a success.
Anne Michaud
Quick Points
What a weekend
- President and first lady Donald and Melania Trump recently compared the White House with a prison. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) called the White House an adult care center where everyone is trying to contain the president. We report — you decide.
- After reports surfaced of big Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein’s history of sexual harassment, his company said: You’re fired. Doesn’t always work that way, does it?
- Four Long Island boys wanted to compete on girls gymnastic teams this year because their high schools don’t have boys teams. Two were denied because they were too good; two were allowed because they wouldn’t take spots from girls. And the lesson is?
- President Donald Trump tweeted, “Nobody could have done what I’ve done for #PuertoRico with so little appreciation.” With all due respect, Mr. President, anybody who did what you’ve done for Puerto Rico would have received so little appreciation.
- A lawsuit filed by municipal law expert and former Suffolk deputy county executive Paul Sabatino alleging that Suffolk overcharged taxpayers in the Southwest Sewer District led a county spokesman to call Sabatino “a political hack.” Sabatino has been called a lot of names by a lot of people, but “hack” is probably the most incorrect.
- Sal Albanese, running for New York City mayor on the Reform Party line, raised $215 in the latest reporting period from Sept. 19 to Oct. 2. There are subway musicians who collected more.
- Before Dr. J and Michael Jordan, there was Brooklyn’s Connie Hawkins, whose best years were stolen by an NBA ban based on later-disproved suspicions he was involved in college point-shaving. On Friday, Hawkins died. Fly forever, Hawk.
Michael Dobie