MTA Installs New Interim Director
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Helena Williams was formally appointed as the MTA's interim executive director Wednesday, three weeks after Lee Sander submitted his resignation.
Williams is the president of the Long Island Rail Road, and will continue to handle those duties as well. She would not speculate on whether she's a candidate for the permanent post.
"The governor has a selection process in place, and it's his prerogative. Wherever it takes us, it takes us," said Williams.
Meanwhile, MTA Chairman Dale Hemmerdinger says he may stay on longer than expected. Under the recently passed state bailout, Hemmerdinger's term expires next month, and says Governor David Paterson has asked him to stay on until a replacement has been named.
"My primary mission during this time is to make sure that none of our agencies or our employees are distracted from the business at hand--putting service out on the streets for millions of New Yorkers," said Hemmerdinger.
Under the terms of the bail out, the governor's appointee will assume the positions of both chairman and executive director.