Skip to content
Link copied to clipboard

Rendell offer reforms for beleaguered DRPA

Gov. Rendell, responding to weeks of discord and controversy at the Delaware River Port Authority, yesterday suggested several reforms for the agency.

Gov. Rendell, responding to weeks of discord and controversy at the Delaware River Port Authority, yesterday suggested several reforms for the agency.

Rendell made his proposals in a letter to John Estey, his former chief of staff, who replaced him as chairman of the bistate agency last year. The letter made clear that Estey and other DRPA leaders helped draw up the proposals.

Rendell cited the "continuing controversy" but did not credit DRPA board member John Dougherty, who took the fight public in a series of angry letters complaining about unanswered questions on hiring practices and executive pay. Several of Rendell's reforms track with concerns Dougherty raised this month.

Rendell reappointed Dougherty to the DRPA board last year.

Among the proposals:

_ Allow the Pennsylvania auditor general and New Jersey comptroller to audit the agency.

_ Require the DRPA to follow the open-meetings and public-records laws for both states.

_ Eliminate the "caucus system," where board members from Pennsylvania and New Jersey hold two private meetings before public sessions.

_ Require public votes on all contracts signed by the DRPA.

_ Allow only one family member of a board member to be hired.

_ Prohibit top employees from having outside jobs.

_ Eliminate free E-ZPass transponders and car allowances for employees.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie followed up with his own letter later last night, pushing the same proposals and a few of his own.

Estey yesterday said the DRPA staff would draw up the reform measures as resolutions for the board members to vote on "as soon as we can." The agency's July 21 meeting was postponed and has not been rescheduled.

Estey said eliminating the caucus system would make the DRPA more transparent. "We're going to do that in public, which means the board meeting will be more lively and interesting than they've ever been," he added.

Dougherty commended Rendell yesterday for acting on many of his concerns but said there were still more issues to study.

"I've got a long line of questions that I need answered," Dougherty said. "I can't wait to embrace and implement all of these reforms. I'm hopeful to do this in a quick manner."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.