It's official: Albany is a better time than Washington, D.C.
Former Rep. Marc Molinaro is looking to swap the Federal Transit Administration for the Assembly after he announced his plans to run for a safe Republican seat in the Catskills. (If you're playing at home, Molinaro is hoping to go from Congress to a high position in the Trump administration to ... a minority post in the lower chamber?)
Molinaro cited a desire to be closer to his family, which moved to Catskill while he was in Congress, but still wanting to remain a public servant of some kind. After all, he has been a politician since he was the 18-year-old mayor of Tivoli.
Molinaro's short tenure as administrator of the Federal Transit Administration was a mixed bag.
He helped streamline the National Environmental Policy Act's procedures to speed up project times and looked to cut red tape in his department. But he also helped carry out the Trump administration's threats to cut funding to "woke" projects.
And he opposed congestion pricing. You can take the boy out of the Hudson Valley, but not the Hudson Valley out of the boy. He said in a Substack post that his experience in the Trump administration was affirming.
"Serving at FTA reinforced something I have long believed: infrastructure is not simply concrete and steel — it is a promise about how we live together," Molinaro wrote. "It determines whether parents can reach jobs, seniors can remain independent and communities can grow and thrive."
The Assembly would be a return for Molinaro, who held a Dutchess County seat for five years before running for county executive and later governor. If he wins, he'll be a back-bencher, which is a far different dynamic than he's been used to.
The seat is opening up due to some upstate GOP musical chairs. State Sen. Pete Oberacker (R-Schenevus) is running for Congress in the 19th Congressional District. Assembly Member Chris Tague (R-Schoharie) is running for Oberacker's seat and vacating his own.
Maybe there is just something magical about passing a state budget while sleep-deprived in the middle of spring. Maybe he misses McGeary's. All will be revealed should he take office.
In other news:
- Gov. Hochul says she won't be taking state matching funds in her election matchup with Republican Bruce Blakeman, but she will take part in a debate with the Nassau County executive. (State of Politics, X)
- New York Magazine noticed what we were chatting about in the Streetsblog newsroom the other day: Mayor Mamdani, so far, is doing the simple socialism.
- New York will spend $1 million researching how New Yorkers living on the west side of the Hudson River can reach Manhattan faster. (The Journal News)
- Yellow cab ads raising awareness about antisemitism are also taking shots at New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's plan to make buses free. (The New York Post)
- The LIRR will be running on six of its 11 branches Tuesday morning. (Newsday)
- State DOT is holding an open house on March 5 to discuss major construction plans along I-590, including bridge replacements and shoulder widenings. (The Rochester Democrat & Chronicle)
