Editorial: Governors sink Port Authority reforms

Over the weekend between Christmas and New Year's, when little government work gets done, Govs. Andrew Cuomo of New York and Chris Christie of New Jersey pulled the plug on much-needed reforms at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. In the same breath, they touted their quest for "accountability" at the lapdog agency.

On Saturday night, the governors announced vetoes of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Transparency and Accountability Act of 2014, dual bills passed unanimously in both states' legislatures. The legislation promised more transparency and less political maneuvering at the Port Authority. The huge agency's responsibilities include international airports; the largest port in North America; key bridge, tunnel and rail crossings; and the World Trade Center site.

Don't worry, the governors pledged in a joint press release announcing the vetoes, they have a plan. The governors would enact a series of reforms (also needed) suggested by their own panel.

Apparently, the embarrassment of Bridgegate – in which Christie's buddies at the Port shut down local lanes on the George Washington Bridge for a mysterious "traffic study" in what quacked like political payback – wasn't enough. It seems the Port Authority's power – and money – are hard to give up.

Openness shut

The Port Authority was established in 1921 and has been governed like a fiefdom ever since. Under the vetoed accountability legislation, the authority would have to adhere to open meetings laws; its commissioners would have to pledge to serve the agency's fiduciary responsibility first and would have to disclose conflicts of interest; the agency would be subject to an annual independent audit; and whistleblower protections would be created.

Another bi-state legislative package, to subject the Port Authority to Freedom of Information laws, is being tweaked to fit the states' different laws and is expected to pass in January, said Assemblywoman Amy Paulin, D-Scarsdale, the New York bill's sponsor.

The governors' promised reforms include streamlining the Port's leadership structure and taking certain appointments directly out of the hands of the governors.

Such measures would be a complement, not a competition, to the legislative proposals. There was no valid excuse to reject the bi-state bills that had garnered overwhelming support. But, it appears, the authority's deep pockets and current opacity are hard to resist.

Power plus opacity

Bridgegate demonstrated for all to see what many had said all along: The lack of transparency and oversight let the Port Authority operate as a patronage machine that could dispense political payback.

New York has problems all on its own with its 1,100 authorities. Such quasi-governmental agencies can rack up debt with little public say or oversight (Think New York State Thruway Authority and its still-unknown toll structure for a new Tappan Zee Bridge). The Port Authority's complex, bi-state regulatory structure – and its $2.9 billion operating budget – add problems, and temptations.

Now the governors of New York and New Jersey have run out the clock for long-needed reform at the Port Authority. Another blow to transparency.

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Read the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Transparency and Accountability Act of 2014. Go to http://assembly.state.ny.us/ and type in the bill number – S7721 or A3944 – in the Quick Bill Search window.