Albany Leaves de Blasio's MTA Board Picks in Limbo

State legislators cleared out of Albany last month, wrapping up a legislative session that ended a week late and in a last-minute flurry of activity.

But one matter the State Senate didn't take care of before returning to their districts was the confirmations of Mayor Bill de Blasio's three picks for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority board.

Four of the seats on the 23-member board are reserved for New York City. One seat is already held by Polly Trottenberg, the city's transportation commissioner. Two others are held by John Banks III and Jeffrey Kay — holdovers from Mayor Michael Bloomberg's administration whose terms have expired. One remains vacant. De Blasio nominated David Jones, Ydanis Rodriguez and Veronica Vanterpool. With Trottenberg, they round out the four seats that the city's mayor can name to the MTA board.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo submitted the three names to the Senate for confirmation. The governor also appointed two others to the board — his former top aide, Larry Schwartz, and Peter Ward, president of the New York Hotel & Motel Trades Council.

Of the five, just Schwartz was confirmed.

Officials in the de Blasio administration said it's important for the city to have representation on the board, which is grappling with a $14 billion deficit that could impact bus, rail and subway services.

“The mayor nominated three of the most qualified and respected voices on public transit in all of New York City," said de Blasio spokesman Wiley Norvell. "It is disappointing that the State Senate did not confirm them, so they could contribute to the vital discussions now underway that will chart the future of the MTA.”

State Senator John DeFrancisco, a Republican, chairs the Finance Committee, which must approve any nominees before they are sent to the full Senate for a vote. He said it is not unusual for nominations to get held at the busy end of session. He said that with no session scheduled before January, the nominees may have a six-month wait.