Bloomberg Unsure About MTA Head's Pricey Pay

While Jay Walder was confirmed as the MTA's new CEO and chairman last week, his big-time pay—$350,000/year, not to mention up to $850,000 in severance and housing and retirement— is an issue with Mayor Bloomberg. His pay package needs to approved by the MTA board and the NY Times reports, "At the urging of City Hall, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s representatives at the Metropolitan Transportation Authority are set to abstain from supporting a generous compensation package for" Walder." Even though Bloomberg likes Walder, apparently the mayor "considered the package to be outsize for a state employee, particularly given the current financial climate, two people familiar with his view said. They said the mayor also believed that if Gov. David A. Paterson was not re-elected, the severance award would limit the ability of a new governor to install a director." Paterson's office has positioned the generous pay as "in line with that of his predecessor and those who lead large transit systems across the country and around the world." Walder, who worked with the MTA in the 1980s, recently ran London's transit system before leaving for Kinsey.

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By Jen Chung in News on September 16, 2009 10:13 AM

Comments [rss]

JacqueMehoff

wasn't it the mayor who said some CEO's salary sounds a bit low or something like that. Let's just say he usually sides with the high salary or again something like that.

IvoryJive

I'm sorry but how much should someone get paid to run a $10 billion agency? You need at minimum an MBA and maybe 15-25 years experience. You will be responsible for life and limb of the public, negotiating massive labor contracts, you will be grilled in the NYC press spotlight, and you must be able to navigate three levels of government and respond to a very demanding, very political board of directors. $350K is a joke compared to what someone with the necessary skills and talent could be making in the private sector. By comparison, the CEO of ConEdison ($14B budget) makes $3.75 million. How are you going to attract talent if you can't pay even remotely competitively? For cryin out loud a flagman on the tracks makes $120K plus overtime, full benefits, early retirement and pension. Pretty soon labor will be making more than management - let's just have the crooked union bosses run the whole agency.

Kojak

Meh, its not as crazy as it sounds. I know heads of Non-profits and College professors that get paid more than that.

zodak

go ahead, defend his salary, but then don't complain about the fare.

Kojak

I've never complained about the fare, but what do you think is a reasonable Salary for the head of one of the world's largest urban transportation systems?

Mookie Wilson

180K

abcohen

Wow can I have his job?! I'd give most of my pay back to the MTA and still have a very nice lifestyle!

That is OUTRAGEOUS!!!!

Ps. how much does the head of the fire depo and police depo make - ahhh thats right?! less then that!