Patrick Foye has told New York Gov. Kathy Hochul that he will not take the position as interim president of Empire State Development Corp., the state’s economic development wing and point agency for the Penn Station expansion project.
Hochul’s predecessor, Andrew Cuomo, had named Foye, 64, to the position in late July, transferring him from the chairmanship of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates New York City’s mass-transit system. Hochul succeeded Cuomo on Aug. 24 after the latter resigned amid a sexual-harassment scandal.
Foye had been president, chairman and CEO of the authority over four years. He had also overseen Empire State Development under former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and is a past chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
“I relayed to Gov. Hochul that I am declining the position of president and CEO of ESD,” Foye said in a statement, according to media reports.
“As with any transition, the governor deserves an opportunity to build her own team, and to that end she is off to a very strong start. While I no longer seek to serve in the capacity originally envisioned, I pledge my support, service, and assistance to her and her administration.”
Hochul’s press secretary Hazel Crampton-Hays praised Foye in her own statement.
“He has brought skill and professionalism to the complex challenges he was tasked with in his many roles, and we are grateful he has offered his expertise to help the state continue to move forward,” she said.
Transit advocates have implored Hochul to take fresh looks at some of Cuomo’s trophy infrastructure projects, including the Penn Station expansion. Formally called the
They also want Hochul to scrap the LaGuardia AirTrain, a planned connector between the airport in northern Queens and the No. 7 subway line.
"It will be interesting to learn Pat's reasoning and I wouldn't presume to know his thinking. It will be a great loss if he leaves public service altogether,” said Sam Turvey, chairman of ReThinkNYC, one of several civic groups opposing the Penn Station project.
“I am, however, glad he will not be charged with attempting to execute on the flawed Empire Station Complex proposal. His talents and brand deserve better assignments than that.”
