The governor actually controls the board nominating process, picks the chairman and CEO, and has more board members than anyone else in the state. | AP Photo De Blasio: Cuomo should ‘own up’ to his MTA responsibilities

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Friday decried Governor Andrew Cuomo’s efforts to distance himself from the MTA’s increasingly problem-prone subway system.

“Let’s not kid around anymore…If you like something happening in our subways, or don’t like it, talk to the governor,” said de Blasio, on WNYC’s Brian Lehrer Show. “He’s in charge. He should just own up to it and take this responsibility seriously and put forward a plan.”


On Thursday, Cuomo appeared to distance himself from the MTA that he controls, telling reporters that he just has some folks on the MTA board, much as the mayor and county executives do.

"I have representation on the board,” the governor said. “The City of New York has representation on the board, so does Nassau, Suffolk, Dutchess, Putnam, Rockland, other counties, okay?”

The governor actually controls the board nominating process, picks the chairman and CEO, and has more board members than anyone else in the state.

Cuomo touted his hands-on approach to the system when the Second Avenue Subway opened earlier this year, but the governor has been less eager to embrace the state authority as it has experienced serious operational challenges in recent weeks.

His effort to do so, said de Blasio on Friday, is a “fantasy.”

In a rare confluence of opinion, on Friday morning, the state GOP sent out a statement agreeing with the Democratic mayor.

"Governor Cuomo's motto is 'the buck stops somewhere else,'" said NYGOP Chairman Ed Cox, in a statement. “He's notorious for claiming credit when things are good and blaming everyone else when things go wrong. No matter how hard he tries to spin, the Governor is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the MTA and this worsening transit crisis is the direct result of his failed leadership and misguided priorities."

A spokesperson for the governor, Dani Lever, said the governor's 6 appointees are "not a majority" of the 14-person board, and said the city should increase its contribution to the MTA by $3 billion.

"That would make a big difference to the MTA's performance," she said.