Politics & Government
Bellone Endorses Peconic Transportation Authority
Candidate for county executive joins supporters of a new transportation system for the East End.
Steve Bellone, the Democratic Supervisor of Babylon Town and a candidate for Suffolk County executive, announced his support for a Peconic Bay Regional Transportation Authority Monday at the Southampton railroad station.
The plan would sever the East End from the MTA, creating a local authority that would serve local transportation needed with light-rail shuttle trains and buses.
“When it comes to Eastern Long Island, all the MTA sees is an ATM,” Bellone said. “An East End transportation authority would halt the flow of money heading west and make sure that eastern Long Island could invest in its own future. A local authority, subject to local rule, would enhance the quality of life enjoyed on the East End.”
Find out what's happening in Southamptonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Assemblyman , an early advocate for the new transportation authority, Southampton Town Supervisor Anna Throne-Holst, town Councilwoman Bridget Fleming, and town council candidate Brad Bender joined Bellone.
"[I]t has been proven that a system of shuttle trains integrated with bus service from railroad stations would be both feasible and desirable," Thiele said. "This is where East End tax dollars for transportation should go, not to subsidize urban transit."
