Corbett appoints himself chairman of the DRPA. Is that a problem?
News broke late yesterday that Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett has appointed himself to the board of the troubled Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA). Corbett appears to be consolidating power, naming himself chairman and filling many of the open slots with his supporters. Is this a problem?
Corbett appoints himself chairman of the DRPA. Is that a problem?
News broke late yesterday that Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Corbett has appointed himself to the board of the troubled Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA). Corbett appears to be consolidating power, naming himself chairman and filling many of the open slots with his supporters. Is this a problem?
Well, "appointing himself" is exactly how John Street got to be board chairman of the Philadelphia Housing Authority, where he was supposed to be supervising disgraced former chief Carl Greene. Recently, federal officials asked Street and the rest of the board to resign. We certainly don't want a repeat of that situation at the DRPA.
But there are key differences between these two scenarios. John Street appointed himself to chair the board at the end of his term in office, meaning he faced no electoral risk from problems at PHA. Corbett, is at the start of his first term, and must run for re-election in four years.
Also, Street took over PHA at a time when many believed that things were going well at the housing authority. Corbett takes control of the DRPA amid a string of embarrassing headlines for the agency, including revelations of outrageous perks for top employees and shady financial arrangements. It's already been established that the DRPA has serious problems -- and, consequently, the whole agency is under a hot spotlight.
Considering the circumstances, we'd argue that Corbett's decision to appoint himself chairman could be a sign that change is coming to the DRPA. Instead of pushing the agency into the background, Corbett has ensured that it will stay at the front of the discussion. We can't imagine Corbett plans to use that profile to continue business as usual.
We could be wrong, of course. It's worth noting that Corbett filled several slots on the DRPA board with political supporters. Given the history of cronyism at the agency, this might not have been the best approach. Still, give Corbett a chance. He inherited the mess at the DRPA, and he deserves a shot at trying a fresh approach before people rush to judgment about his self-appointment.
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Good post - give the Governor a chance.— Mirror- I think it is a good thing. As you pointed out, Corbett has attached his name to the agency. The success or failures are attached to him. The proverbial "buck stops here".— Adam Lang
- Uh, Rendell appointed himself as chairman too so let us use him as an example in addition to street.— sjnative94
- I hate politicians--All-ways the same story--- "I can fix it, I can make it better"--- Why can't we just vote for dishonest government, and be done with it. Like no surprise when caught stealing, only took a little bit, and so they are FORGIVEN.— thomas j barnes
- maybe he can completely zero out the budget for bridge maintenance like he did for adultbasic. This will work out about as well.— brendancalling
