John Petro is a consultant on New York City public policy.

The first step toward solving a problem is admitting there is a problem. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the state legislature, who are responsible for the M.T.A.'s finances, need to admit that there’s a problem with the M.T.A. The most obvious symptom: It is drowning in debt. The M.T.A.'s future is in their hands, and any solution to the authority's debt problem must begin in Albany.

Cuomo tends to ignore the M.T.A. and mass transit in general. With the exception of the few weeks after Hurricane Sandy, the governor hardly ever mentions the M.T.A. He has excluded transit projects from one of his key infrastructure programs, the New York Works Fund, and has refused to include a transit connection in plans for a new Tappan Zee bridge. If he has any plans for the M.T.A. and its future, the public has yet to hear them.

When they mention it at all, state lawmakers tend to treat the M.T.A. as a punching bag or as a piggy bank.

But maybe being ignored is preferable to being noticed. Albany tends to treat the M.T.A. as a punching bag or as a piggy bank. In 2010, Albany lawmakers raided $120 million from “dedicated” M.T.A. funds to plug holes in the state budget. Elected officials feign outrage at fare hikes, but are the ones ultimately responsible for them.

Even worse, state and local officials tend to obstruct the M.T.A.’s plans to improve service, like rolling out “select bus service” to more city neighborhoods. In Harlem, State Senator Bill Perkins and the City Council member Robert Jackson stymied plans for a new rapid bus line, which would have benefitted 32,000 riders a day. And a balanced plan to reduce tolls for drivers outside Manhattan (in exchange for East River tolls) has received no attention from the governor or the legislature. The plan would raise money for transit while lowering tolls on river crossings.

State leaders need to realize that the M.T.A. is one of the state’s greatest assets and drivers of economic development, right up there with the state university system. With the right kind of attention from Albany, workable solutions can be found. The cost of capital projects must come down; projects here tend to cost several times more than overseas. A new contract with the transit union must be negotiated. And Albany must get a handle on the M.T.A.’s debt. All this is possible, but not until Albany admits there is a problem.