Corbett appoints 6 to DRPA, names himself chairman

Gov. Corbett on Monday replaced six members of the troubled Delaware River Port Authority board, naming some prominent area Republicans, members of his transition team - and himself.

The housecleaning of the DRPA board came two days before a scheduled meeting on Wednesday, at which the new members will cast their first votes.

Corbett's appointments leave only two holdover Pennsylvania members on the 16-member bistate board: State treasurer Robert McCord and state auditor general Jack Wagner, who are members by virtue of their elected offices.

By naming himself to head the agency board, Corbett - a Republican - follows in the footsteps of his Democratic predecessor, Gov. Ed Rendell. Rendell named himself chairman of the board, but rarely attended meetings, designating his former chief of staff, Philadelphia attorney John Estey, to serve as chairman in his absence.

Corbett did not indicate which of his appointees would serve as chairman in his absence. A spokesman, Gary Miller, said that decision likely would be made on Wednesday.

Corbett talked recently about the DRPA with his New Jersey counterpart, Gov. Christie, who has pushed for cost cuts and management changes at the agency. Christie does not have the ability to replace board DRPA members that Corbett does. New Jersey's eight board members were appointed to five-year terms by Gov. Jon S. Corzine, a Democrat, before he left office and were confirmed by the state Senate.

The new Pennsylvania appointees to the board in addition to Corbett:

William Sasso, board chairman at the Stradley Ronon Stevens & Young law firm in Philadelphia. Sasso, a major Republican fund-raiser and cochair of Corbett's transition team, is prominent in local community organizations. He and his firm represent the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia as it faces grand jury indictments released last month alleging sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests. Sasso has been reported in The Inquirer and other publications as a leading candidate to chair the board.

Joann Bell, head of the Philadelphia office of the lobbying and government relations firm, Pugliese Associates. Bell was the first appointed executive director of the Advisory Commission on African American Affairs in 1992 under then-Gov. Robert P. Casey. She is former special-projects manager for the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. and former vice president of AFSCME District Council No. 47. She was an economic-development coordinator in the office of the city representative during the mayoral administration of John F. Street.

Joanna Cruz, an attorney with the law firm of Kerns, Pearlstine, Onorato & Hladik in Upper Gwynedd. Cruz, a former public defender, is a member of the Montgomery County and Pennsylvania Bar Associations as well as the Pennsylvania Hispanic Bar Association. She is president of the board of Accion Comunal Latinoamericana de Montgomery County, a social services agency for Hispanic immigrants.

Walter D'Alessio, vice chairman of NorthMarq Capital, a real estate investment banking firm, and senior managing director of NorthMarq Advisors, a real estate consulting group, with offices in Philadelphia. D'Alessio, a former chairman of the board of the Independence Seaport Museum, was a witness against former State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo (D., Philadelphia) in Fumo's federal corruption trial. D'Alessio has been active on corporate and nonprofit boards and was executive director of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority. He served on Corbett's transition team after his election last year.

David Simon, senior vice president and general counsel for Jefferson Health System in Philadelphia. Simon formerly served as general counsel to the Pennsylvania Insurance Department. He donated $20,000 to Corbett's campaign and served on Corbett's transition team.

Corbett's choices were saluted by Pennsylvania state Rep. Mike Vereb (R., Montgomery) who worked with New Jersey Assemblyman Domenick DiCicco Jr. (R., Gloucester) to try to mandate changes in the DRPA's federal charter.

"I fully support Gov. Corbett's decision to sit on the board and am thrilled that he will be serving as chair," Vereb said in a statement. "His involvement in the DRPA board will bring a breath of fresh air to a public agency that has operated behind closed doors for far too long. I look forward to working with the governor and supporting his efforts to reform the DRPA."

A change in chairman might also mean a change in the top staff job at the DRPA.

The contract of chief executive officer John Matheussen expired in July, and he has retained his $219,474-a-year post as a holdover, based on a letter of authorization signed by Estey and DRPA vice chairman Jeffrey Nash, a Camden County freeholder.

It was unclear whether Corbett, as DRPA chairman, would need to re-authorize Matheussen's retention.

The post traditionally has been filled with a nominee from New Jersey's governor.

Christie, who has pushed for cost cuts and management changes at many New Jersey authorities, said last year that he would not permit Matheussen to be hired for a third term until problems at the DRPA were addressed.

Christie said last month that new Pennsylvania appointments to the DRPA could revive talks about the agency's top management.