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New York Transit Board Head Gets a Ferrari

Posted on: Friday, 5 May 2006, 15:00 CDT

By Pete Donohue, Daily News, New York

May 5--Three days before Peter Kalikow chaired an MTA board meeting and refused to vote on a transit union contract, he sat in a much plusher seat -- that of his custom-made Ferrari as it was unveiled in sunny Italy.

With dark sunglasses, a striped button-down shirt and a wry smile, Kalikow posed on April 23 for photographs in the one-of-a-kind collector's car at the 2006 Villa d'Este Concorso d'Eleganza, a prestigious auto show held amid sculpted gardens and historic manors on the banks of Lake Como.

The special Ferrari 612 Scaglietti was fashioned according to detailed instructions drafted by the millionaire developer, who shelled out at least $260,000 for the sweet set of wheels -- the latest addition to his classic car collection.

"Mr. Kalikow has personally followed the development and has actively contributed to the selection of the car features" from the styling of the sleek front grill to the color of the interior, a Ferrari press release states.

A transit worker posted some instructions of his own under a photograph of the chairman's new car on the Internet: "Find it, burn it, scrap it."

Others griped that Kalikow, who only accepts a $1 symbolic salary for his MTA gig, has misplaced priorities.

"It's too bad he didn't spend as much time focusing on the contract as he did on the Ferrari catalogue," said J.P. Patafio, union chairman of a Brooklyn bus depot. "Here's the end result: He has a brand new Ferrari he showcases in Italy. We had a strike. And we have an ongoing labor dispute that could push the city into more unrest. It's a shame."

The Ferrari's features include a solar-powered sun roof with two glass panels with an adjustable tint, ranging from pitch black to crystal clear; door panels with inward or "scallop" curves and door handles with Kalikow's initials.

MTA spokesman Timothy O'Brien said the MTA board meeting and Kalikow's European jaunt "have nothing to do with each other. The juxtaposition of these two events is b---s---. The chairman makes $1 annually in public funds. What he does on his free time with his money is his business."

Transit and union officials agreed to a 37-month contract that included 10.9 percent in raises and workers contributing 1.5 percent of earnings for health care after the three-day strike ended in December. Workers rejected the pact by just seven votes but then approved it by an overwhelming margin last month.

The MTA, however, says the offer came off the table after the first union effort to ratify it failed.

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Copyright (c) 2006, Daily News, New York

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FIA,

Source: Daily News

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