Cuomo and Christie, Defying Legislatures, Reject Bill to Overhaul Port Agency - NYT [View all]

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Last edited Sun Dec 28, 2014, 01:01 AM - Edit history (1)

Cuomo and Christie, Defying Legislatures, Reject Bill to Overhaul Port Agency
By JESSE McKINLEY - NYT
DEC. 27, 2014



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ALBANY — The governors of New York and New Jersey, defying the unanimous votes of both their Legislatures, on Saturday rejected a bill aimed at curbing political interference and patronage at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, more than a year after lane closings on the George Washington Bridge set off a scandal that looms over the agency to this day.

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York, a Democrat, announced the veto of the bill just hours before a midnight deadline and in the face of an almost unheard-of bipartisan support.

Because the authority is governed by both New York and New Jersey, approval is needed by both legislatures to make changes in its structure and operations, on Saturday night, the anger at the governors’ rejection of the bill was felt on both sides of the Hudson River.

“It’s appalling and disappointing,” said Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle, a Democrat of Bergen County, N.J., who sponsored the bill in Trenton. “Today’s actions clearly demonstrate both governors want to continue the same old scandalous problems at the Port Authority.”

Indeed, the veto came as prosecutors continue to investigate the politically motivated lane closings at the bridge last year, a scandal that marred the reputation of Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey as a rising star in the Republican Party. A bistate agency whose commissioners and top staff are appointed by the two governors, the authority has vast transportation responsibilities, including several of region’s airports and major bridges.

But it has also faced withering ethical questions over its reputation for rewarding politically connected officials with patronage jobs and lucrative contracts...

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More: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/28/nyregion/cuomo-and-christie-announce-they-will-veto-bill-to-overhaul-port-authority.html?google_editors_picks=true