Cuomo Takes Aim at MTA Ad ‘Inappropriate’

ALBANY (AP) —

New York transit officials say they will reconsider their advertising standards after a top aide to Gov. Andrew Cuomo objected to a subway ad as inappropriate for families.

Howard Glaser, Cuomo’s director of state operations, wrote to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on Tuesday asking the agency to take action regarding the advertisement placed on 1,000 New York City subway cars.

“Tens of thousands of children ride the transit system every day to go to school,” Glaser wrote in the letter, which he said was offered on behalf of the Democratic governor. “The public has a right to expect that the MTA will strive for a family-friendly environment.”

Glaser also indicated in his letter that the MTA had advised the governor’s office earlier that the advertisement conformed to the authority’s standards.“With all due respect, we suggest that these standards need to be revisited,” he wrote.

Parents have raised similar concerns about the advertisement, according to a statement from MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz.

“The MTA understands the concerns that Gov. Cuomo and other parents have raised about this advertisement and about maintaining a family-friendly environment on our trains and buses,” the statement said.

The advertisement was paid for by a cosmetic surgery practice located in Queens. Ortiz said the ads were posted on 1,000 subway cars and in 50 subway stations. The surgical practice paid for 10weeks of advertising time.

The MTA’s Board of Directors revised the authority’s advertising standards two years ago after a court decision forced it to accept advertisements that implied the Jihadists are “savages.”

To Read The Full Story

Are you already a subscriber?
Click to log in!