After revealing Sandy comments, MTA chairman praises Bill Rudin

William Rudin and Joseph Lhota
William Rudin and Joseph Lhota

MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota today praised William Rudin, a major city landlord, whose office buildings were hard-hit by Hurricane Sandy, the New York Observer reported.

“Bill and I witnessed the horrific damage of Superstorm Sandy and we both concluded that we must have a comprehensive effort by the federal, state and local government and the private sector to prevent such water surge damage to property in the future,” Lhota said in a statement to the New York Observer. “I have no doubt that Bill will be an exemplary leader of this effort.”

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Earlier this week, Lhota told Capital New York that Rudin had thanked him for allowing the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel to flood during the storm, thus preventing more water from flowing into Lower Manhattan.  Lhota noted that he “wasn’t particularly pleased with the comment.”

Following that report, Rudin responded with a press release, “As we look post-Hurricane Sandy to New York’s long-term recovery, we have to consider a variety of options to effectively protect and defend our critical infrastructure as well as our residents, businesses and visitors.” [NYO] –Hayley Kaplan