Democrats Expand Scope of Port Authority Probe

As they wait for Port Authority officials to comply with their most recent wave of subpoenas, key Democratic lawmakers are debating how to reform a powerful bistate agency they regard as dysfunctional, unresponsive, and out of control. They also must decide whether to seek a criminal investigation against those responsible for the Bridge-gate lane closures.

Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg (D-Bergen) said yesterday she will introduce a Senate resolution Thursday calling for a congressional review of the structure and operations of the Port Authority. Weinberg's legislative district was directly affected by four days of traffic tie-ups caused by a rogue Port Authority official’s secret closure of two Fort Lee access lanes leading onto the George Washington Bridge

Assembly Transportation Committee Chairman John Wisniewski (D-Middlesex), whose panel hauled in senior Port Authority officials under subpoena last week, said legal staff at the nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services is reviewing whether any federal or state laws were broken by the lane closures, which impeded interstate commerce from New Jersey to New York.

And U.S. Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV), who chairs the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, yesterday launched his own inquiry into the Bridge-gate scandal. He has requested documents from the Port Authority and has sent a letter urging the U.S. Secretary of Transportation to conduct a full investigation.

Weinberg and Wisniewski said their concerns with the Port Authority go far beyond the current scandal that has already forced the resignations of Gov. Chris Christie’s “eyes and ears” at the agency, Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni and Interstate Projects Director James Wildstein, a high school friend of Christie’s who ordered the lane closures.

Both Wisniewski and Weinberg complained about a lack of transparency and responsiveness in the hefty toll increases pushed through last fall. They also cited a recent study commissioned by Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo that found the Port Authority’s management to be “dysfunctional.”

Read more at NJSpotlight.com

NJ Spotlight is an issue-driven news website that provides critical insight to New Jersey’s communities and businesses. It is non-partisan, independent, policy-centered and community-minded.