Manhattan BP candidates (D) skeptical of federal plans for Penn Station, 'not looking to work with Trump'

Democratic candidates running for Manhattan Borough President were skeptical Wednesday night about the federal government’s plans to renovate Penn Station, stressing the need for city and state involvement in all aspects of the project to reconstruct the iconic Midtown transportation hub.

Speaking at a candidates’ forum hosted by PoliticsNY, AARP New York, and the New York City Bar Association on May 7, outgoing City Council Member Keith Powers said the matter would be a “day one action” for him if he were elected, seeing the role of Manhattan BP as vital in bringing all necessary stakeholders together.

President Trump’s Department of Transportation (USDOT) crushed the MTA’s plans for a revitalized Penn Station last month, choosing instead to take on the project itself with the federally backed Amtrak rail system. MTA CEO Janno Lieber has previously welcomed the takeover, but he expects to participate in the federal agency’s efforts to revamp the station in the future.

“It’s a really complicated equation,” said Powers. “I am not looking to co-operate with Donald Trump on really anything. I just want to be clear about that, but I am looking to cooperate with my federal counterparts and my city, state counterparts to make sure that we get a really good plan that delivers everything that we need in terms of housing, to the public realm outside of it, and to deliver a good public transportation. It is a really critical hub to our city.”



https://www.amny.com/politics/manhattan-bp-candidates-plans-penn-station/