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Onorato sidesteps question on DRPA chairman’s future

    by By Tom Infield, INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
    Published 

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Dan Onorato sidestepped a question today about whether he would replace his longtime good friend John Estey as chairman of the Delaware River Port Authority should he be elected governor this November.

Onorato, speaking at a news conference in West Philadelphia, said that he endorsed a series of reforms proposed for the authority by Gov. Rendell and Gov. Christie.

Estey, appointed by Rendell as a chairman of the authority, is one of the leading figures in Onorato's campaign for governor. The two men have known each other since law school at the University of Pittsburgh.

Asked if he would replace Estey, he said "It's not about individuals right now . . . I am not elected now. I am not going to talk about personnel."

He added, "I would say I would be bringing in a lot of new people into government. I think it's healthy."

An independent audit of the DRPA, released Tuesday, described problems of political meddling, unauthorized projects, and employees who were "deemed by the staff as 'untouchable' because of their political connections."

Estey on Wednesday enumerated a number of reforms to the DRPA in a letter to Christie and Rendell. Among the proposals: an end to hiring relatives of executives and employees, opening all board meetings to the public, and a ban on performing political work while on DRPA duty.

Onorato said the reforms should be instituted as soon as possible.

The port authority operates four Delaware River toll bridges and the PATCO commuter rail line between Philadelphia and South Jersey. Its $300 million in revenue comes largely from bridge tolls, most of which are paid by New Jersey commuters.

Former President Bill Clinton will be in Philadelphia on Tuesday, Aug. 10 to headline a fund-raising event for Onorato at the Convention Center.

Onorato declined to say how much money he expects to raise then. He previously reported having raised $3.35 million since the May Democratic primary.

Tickets for the event range from $1,000 to $10,000.