A broad coalition of powerful individuals, who often do not see eye to eye, joined forces, prompting Governor Kathy Hochul to abandon her plans for a $15 congestion toll in Midtown Manhattan. Key players highlighted pivotal moments that fueled the surge of opposition against the plan, while The Post’s campaign against it was crucial in keeping the issue front and center, according to New Jersey Democratic Representative Josh Gottheimer.
One significant turning point occurred when the influential left-leaning teachers’ union collaborated with Staten Island Republican Borough President Vito Fossella in filing a federal lawsuit aimed at slowing down the congestion pricing plan. Unions representing the entire city government workforce, including ambulance workers and other first responders who drive to their jobs in Manhattan, also provided support by rallying against it.
Fossella recalled a conversation with United Federation of Teachers President Mike Mulgrew: “I got a call from him, who asked me, ‘Are you serious about pursuing this lawsuit?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ Sometimes you have to work with people you don’t always agree with for the common good.
Gottheimer, a Democrat considered a top contender to become New Jersey’s next governor, held bipartisan press conferences with New York House Republican Reps. Nicole Maliotakis and Michael Lawler, among others, in order to keep the issue in the public eye. He represents communities in north Jersey that border the George Washington Bridge.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, also a Democrat, filed his own lawsuit against the congestion toll, turning the issue into a battle between two governors from the same party on either side of the Hudson River.
Gottheimer said, “People are over the moon. We won.” He added that public pressure worked and that it was a broad-based coalition ranging from left to right. Congressman Lawler, who represents Rockland County and other communities north of the city, emphasized the importance of The Post’s coverage in raising awareness about the issue.
Other civic activists and small business owners formed the group New Yorkers Against Congestion Pricing Tax, galvanizing opposition to the plan. Corey Bearak of the Queens Civic Congress, Susan Lee, a Chinatown business advocate, and former Lower East Side Councilman and retired Judge Kathryn Freed were among its founders.
Bearak said, “Our cause was right. We need a vibrant economy. The congestion toll was going to raise the cost of goods and services for everyone.” He also pointed out that traffic congestion and pollution would have been redirected from Manhattan to other parts of the city to avoid the Midtown toll.
The congestion toll was never about the environment. It was about revenue,” Bearak added.
Hochul and the legislature failed to come up with alternatives last week to finance the MTA’s capital plan, which was expected to gain $1 billion a year with the congestion toll. Bearak suggested that the state, city, and federal governments should prioritize public transit more highly and allocate additional funds in their budgets for the MTA’s capital program while helping implement better cost controls at the agency that oversees NYC Transit, the Long Island Railroad, and Metro-North.
