GOSHEN – Deputy Orange County Executive Harry Porr resigned from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) in March after serving a portion of his term which is set to expire at the end of 2025.
Orange County is entitled to a seat on the MTA Board, as is Rockland County, but both seats are currently vacant. Appointees are typically recommended by the county executive and must be nominated by the governor and approved by the State Senate.
Representation on the MTA board is seen as very important in suburban areas that have less of a say on decision making than the City of New York that maintains four commissioners.
This year, a proposal in the governor’s executive budget proposal included increased mobility taxes on suburban riders that were designed to address an MTA revenue shortfall. The plan for new mobility taxes was ultimately rejected in the final adopted state budget.
A representative for Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus indicated that he is currently going through applications for the next appointee. No specific timetable exists for the appointment of a new representative to the board.
The four northern counties in the MTA region, Orange, Dutchess, Putnam and Rockland, each have only one-quarter vote on the MTA board, this dubbing them the “quarter-pounders.” Westchester County, the only other county north of the City of New York, has a full vote on the board.
