Janno Lieber Confirmed as MTA Chair by State Senate

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Janno Lieber, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s pick for chair of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, was approved by the state Senate on Thursday after an interim stint in the position.. He was confirmed for the chairmanship by a vote of 56 to 7.

“Bringing back customers is our single- highest priority and that means providing the safest, most reliable, and most affordable service we can,” Lieber said in a statement.

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Lieber worked atSilverstein Properties from 2003 to 2017 as the  president of World Trade Center Properties. He left the development company for  the MTA, serving as its president of construction and development before becoming interim chair in July 2021, following the departure of Pat Foye. Lieber was nominated for the permanent chair role on Jan. 11.

Jamie Torres-Springer, who was the commissioner of the NYC Department of Design and Construction, has assumed Janno’s former MTA position.

Having started his career in public service within the Ed Koch mayoral administration, Lieber worked closely with MTA leaders Bob Kiley and David Gunn

Lieber was with the MTA through the 2017 transit crisis and worked alongside former beloved New York City Transit President Andy Byford in efforts to approve the agency’s $51.5 billion 2020-2024 capital program. 

From the onset of COVID-19, Lieber has been an active part in managing the agency’s biggest projects such as the L Train tunnel project and the effort to redevelop Pennsylvania Station.

Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.