Populist Political Incompentence Challenge

New to the Metro column, I headed out on a hot summer night to the best farce on either bank of the river: one of two limited shows of the Delaware River Port Aurthority rate-increase hearings.

You can read the column I wrote here: http://www.philly.com/philly/news/local/25844649.html

The authority is more than $1 billion in debt, grossly mismanged, rife with political paybacks and a web of cozy relationships that make the soaps look tame. Executives are overpaid and gifted with gorgeous pensions. Meanwhile, bridges and PATCO cars in need of repair.

DRPA, largedly funded by New Jersey commuters, continues to hand out gifts, mostly for Pennsylvania "economic development" projects launched by rich friends of certain politicians, projects most commuters will never use.

If you routinely paid tolls or used PATCO in recent years, for example, you helped pay for Lincoln Financial Field where most of us are unable to score a ticket to a single Eagles game.

Personally, I would like two seats at the Oct. 5 matchup against the 'Skins.

Check the oversight board, law firms and executives and you begin to see very tangled web of one hand helping the other.

Alas, neither of those hands belong to you, the average commuter.

Despite the debt, the calling for toll and rate increases, not once did a DRPA executive commit to using the $35 million for debt service or repairs.

So here's the challenge: Can you name any other regional political entity that matches DRPA's incompetence and arrogance?