Well, we've come a long way from Carmel, haven't we?
Putnam County Executive Kevin Byrne was appointed co-chair of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council, according to Mid-Hudson News.
The planning body directs how billions of federal highway and transit dollars are used in New York City, Long Island and Rockland, Westchester and Putnam Counties. Its board is made up of transportation department and authority heads and county executives in the downstate region.
Putnam County isn't necessarily known for its transportation planning, but Byrne does have a track record of advancing forward-thinking policy while leading it. He launched Putnam On-Demand in 2025, a microtransit program that provides residents with shared on-demand rides throughout the county. But like many Hudson Valley politicians, he was a vocal opponent of congestion pricing.
Byrne will serve as co-chair with state DOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez.
More news:
- State Attorney General Tish James endorsed Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso in his Seventh Congressional District primary run. (X)
- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani got President Trump to consider a housing project that would place a cap over an active railyard in western Queens. (The New York Times)
- Democratic Super Political Action Committee Battleground New York is looking to flip the First Congressional District on Long Island, currently held by Rep. Nick LaLota. (City & State)
- A Clifton Park man was charged with second-degree criminal possession after he allegedly used a fake license plate to evade E-ZPass fees but the plate's number was actually assigned to a real motorist. (The Times Union)
- Albany County Executive Dan McCoy want to turn a scuttled McDonald's into a new bus terminal in Downtown Albany. (WAMC)
