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Cuomo Creates Search Panel To Pick Next MTA Chairman

ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYorkAP) -- Gov. Andrew Cuomo has taken an unusual step of creating a search panel to help choose the next chairman of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

He says the next MTA chairman has to be responsible to the straphangers and other New Yorkers using the system.

Governors usually consider such high-profile appointments privately and then simply announce their choice.

Cuomo says he wants an international search to find the next head of the mass transit authority that runs the trains, tunnels and bridges in and around New York City.

Cuomo said the state has also contracted with an executive recruitment firm.

The Democrat's choice must be confirmed by the Republican-led Senate.

Jay Walder resigned from the $350,000-a-year job last month to become CEO of the MTR Corporation in Hong Kong. It operates rail services in Asia and Europe.

Walder joined the MTA in October 2009 after working on London's mass transit system.

Do you think holding a search is the best way to pick the next MTA head? Let us know below...

(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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