NEW YORK (WPIX)—
As the Metropolitan Transit Authority slashes subway and bus routes, lays off employees and threatens to kill free student MetroCards, the agency does have cash for a curious expense -- 30 newspaper subscriptions, including three for Chairman Jay Walder's Tribeca home and four more for his office.PIX 11 News reporter Greg Mocker uncovered the $30,000 item while reviewing a Request for Proposal recently issued by the MTA Procurement Division. The RFP seeks bids on a three-year contract to deliver newspapers -- including the free Village Voice -- to four MTA executives and the agency's law library. The breakdown:
Charles Monheim, MTA chief operating officer: M-F office delivery of the New York Times.
Ernest Tollerson, director for policy and media relations: M-S office delivery of the New York Post, Daily News, New York Times, Newsday; M-F office delivery of the Wall Street Journal.
Jeremy Soffin, MTA spokesman: M-F office delivery of the Daily News, New York Post, New York Times, Newsday, Wall Street Journal; Sunday office delivery (on Monday) of the Daily News, New York Post, New York Times, Newsday; Wednesday office delivery of the Village Voice and New York Observer; Thursday office delivery of the Amsterdam News.
MTA Law Library: M-S delivery of the Daily News, New York Post, New York Times, and Newsday; M-F delivery of the Wall Street Journal.
An MTA spokesman says despite the high price tag, the RFP actually reflects cost cutting moves by the MTA.
"Between 2006 and 2007, the MTA reduced its subscription expenses to $8,700 per year from $50,000 per year," said MTA Deputy Press Secretary Aaron Donovan said in a statement. "We expect the next contract will be in the range of $8,700 to $10,000 per year. Despite the increase in newspaper prices since the last contract was signed in 2007, we expect to keep the subscriptions budget within a similar range by significantly reducing the number of newspapers we receive."
When asked if the contract made sense given the fact that most of the newspapers are free online, Donovan declined comment.
