Typical Peter Schmitt - Bus hearing

[opie]

Video
abclocal.go.com/wabc/video?id=8455289

Public hearing on Nassau Co. bus service

NASSAU COUNTY (WABC) -- Officials discussed plans with residents for private company Veolia Transportation Inc. to manage Long Island Bus service during a public hearing.

Frustration boiled over from the more than 200 Nassau County residents packed into a hearing room, hoping to voice their concerns about the privatization of the county's bus system.

But a 1 p.m. hearing started 90 minutes late, with the public not able to speak until an hour after that.

The MTA ceased operating the bus system because of a funding dispute earlier this year.

A new company, Veolia, is scheduled to take over in January, but drivers and riders fear the worst.

The county however is insisting that the new company will not have the ultimate say-so when it comes to changes in service.

That power will rest with riders.

"Veolia will report to a transit committee which will oversee its performance. That committee will have five members, all Nassau County residents," Nassau County Executive Ed Mangano said.

[bufordtjustice]

the newsday article was interesting. pointed out the same things as your article, but also had this:

The hearing was very contentious at times, with speakers demanding that Schmitt look at them when they spoke, and Schmitt refusing. When speaker Behrous Shirazi, of Port Washington, likened Nassau officials to Adolf Hitler, Schmitt said the speaker's mother would be ashamed of him.

some of the comments below this article were interesting too; very anti-schmitt.

[onthejob]

Mangano-"A board consisting of all Nassau County residents". Only problem is that none of them will be bus commuters, just political friends. Pretty sad that Mangano and Schmitt are thumbing their noses at the residents of this county. We need to start our campaign for CE now.