MTA Hero Tony Ventimiglia is Staten Island's dispatcher who hasn't taken sick day in over 2 decades

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Thursday, April 20, 2023
MTA Hero feels great honor as Staten Island's dispatcher
Tony Ventimiglia oversees 29 express routes, six local routes, assists with customer service, and covers bus breakdowns with a spare bus. Heather O'Rourke has details.

STATEN ISLAND (WABC) -- This week's MTA Hero has gone over two decades without calling sick. Not even once.

Tony Ventimiglia is Staten Island's dispatcher who pulls out all the stops.

He oversees 29 express routes, six local routes, assists with customer service, and covers bus breakdowns with a spare bus.

"I always go by the theory 'make the job work for you'. At the end of the day, I got 27,000 people to work without a hitch, everyone's happy. That to me is my gratification," Tony said.

Tony attributes his pristine attendance to good health and passion for what he does.

"I enjoy coming to work. Maybe that has something to do with it," Tony joked.

He's been with the MTA for 44 years. His coworkers think the world of him.

"If we were to be a baseball team, he would win the 'gold glove' at customer service because he's excellent with the customers," one colleague said.

Tony said he hopes to keep working this way for at least 20 more years.

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