The MTA's New Chairman Knows the Job — He's Already Held It

Now that Gov. Cuomo has tapped former MTA chairman, Joe Lhota, to lead the agency again. He's known for getting the subway system on its feet again after the devastation of storm Sandy.

And then there was his tough management style.

Lhota "was not afraid to be combative," said WNYC reporter Jim O'Grady, who, as a then-transit reporter. witnessed an explosive exchange between Lhota and an MTA board member. (Editor's note: Just press play. Trust me.)  "I got the impression that Lhota had been laying in wait to show everybody that he was the guy in charge." 

Lhota left the MTA in to run for mayor of New York City as the Republican candidate, an election he lost to Bill de Blasio. He's been working at NYU ever since. But he re-emerged last week to head up a task force to come up with alternatives for Long Island Rail Road riders facing disruption due to upcoming work at Penn Station. "He started off by saying 'let's not let a good crisis go to waste,'" says WNYC reporter Stephen Nessen.