Posted: May 03, 2015 11:37 AM EDTUpdated: May 03, 2015 11:38 AM EDT
By DAVID PORTER and MEGHAN BARR
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) – The indictments against two former allies of Gov. Chris Christie and the guilty plea of a third, all stemming from the George Washington Bridge lane closing scandal, and the still-looming investigation involving the former chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey have underlined the need for reform at the agency.
David Samson wasn’t mentioned in the indictment that charged a former Port Authority official and a former Christie aide with several wire fraud and conspiracy counts on Friday, meaning the separate investigation stemming from his time as chairman could yield further embarrassment for the bistate authority.
But despite the scandals, its leadership is optimistic about the future.
Port Authority Chairman John Degnan, who is leading the agency through the turmoil, said there’s an opportunity to learn from the indictments, “if there’s anything we missed that we should do.”
“In the seeds of disaster were the potential for reform. I view the indictments as another step in the healing process, reformation process,” Degnan, who was appointed by Christie last year after Samson resigned, told The Associated Press last week.
After the release of the indictments Friday and the guilty plea of David Wildstein, a former Port Authority official and Christie ally who said he orchestrated the lane closings with the help of former Port Authority official Bill Baroni and former Christie deputy chief of staff Bridget Kelly, Degnan stressed that the agency’s new whistleblower policy is “one of the most aggressive in the country.”
Degnan said it supports employees who come forward if they see any potential violations, a policy he said could have avoided the lane-closing scandal since some employees likely were afraid to report the actions of superiors.
Degnan also said he understands the public’s frustration with the fact that both governors vetoed reform bills in their respective states in late December in favor of adopting a lengthy internal reform proposal. But he questioned the necessity of the reform legislation.
https://www.njherald.com/story/28963871/reform-still-an-issue-at-troubled-port-authority
The shamelessness of the politicization and corruption of the Port Authority is so utterly breathtaking it should scandalize anyone who sees it, yet, no one seems to give a sh*t. It really boggles the mind.