Legislators: Make DRPA accountable

A trio of Republican lawmakers from North Jersey and Pennsylvania will introduce bills next week in an effort to change the federal compact of the Delaware River Port Authority.

The bills would give greater access to public records and ban economic development activity, political activity on DRPA time and nepotism in hiring. They also would seek to make permanent the ban on employee perks such as free tolls and fares on the four DRPA-operated bridges and the PATCO Hi-Speedline.

The proposal, similar to one that failed in 2010, drew criticism from a powerful South Jersey Democrat.

"To me, this was done for a headline and not for anything else," New Jersey Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney, D-Gloucester, said after the news conference.

The legislators — two from Pennsylvania and one from Morris County — came to Camden to tout the need for permanent change, though they acknowledged the DRPA has implemented reforms in recent years.

"The DRPA will no longer be allowed to police itself ... and to work in the shadows," New Jersey state Sen. Joseph Pennacchio said at a news conference Thursday on the Camden Waterfront in the shadow of the Ben Franklin Bridge. "People are demanding better transparency and more accountability."

The agency has lost public trust, Pennacchio said, adding it is not "an ATM for outside development" and should focus on its bridges and regional railway between Lindenwold and Philadelphia.

"This legislation is a wake-up call to the DRPA: Representatives in both New Jersey and Pennsylvania will not tolerate any more abuses," he said.

Pennacchio joined two Pennsylvania state legislators, Sen. John Rafferty Jr. and Rep. Michael Vereb, both R-Montgomery. The three said their identical bills would be introduced Monday in the houses of their respective legislatures.

Their proposal also got support from Pennsylvania Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, a Democrat and DRPA commissioner.

Rafferty called the reform long overdue and a common-sense approach.

Sweeney disagreed — an indication passage in New Jersey would face an uphill battle. Congress and governors of both states also must approve a federal charter change.

"What they are calling for has already been done by the authority by resolution, and I am proud of its action to refocus on its core mission of transportation," said Sweeney.

"They (DRPA commissioners) eliminated the economic development projects; no one gets E-ZPass; they have been on a salary freeze for five years; and the new CEO (promoted from finance director) came on with his existing salary," he observed. "So what are they calling for?"

Sweeney also criticized the Pennsylvania legislators for not reaching out to South Jersey legislators whose regions are affected by the DRPA — instead of one from the north, where Sweeney said the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey is in need of reform.

A reform Sweeney said he would consider supporting — veto authority for the Pennsylvania governor — was not in the package unveiled Thursday. That would put Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett on an equal footing with New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie — the only one with veto power over DRPA actions, power he used in 2010 to prompt internal DRPA reforms.

Reach Carol Comegno at (856) 486-2473 or ccomegno@gannett.com