Christie vetoes DRPA reforms as not strong enough

Saying he was running out of patience with the Delaware River Port Authority, New Jersey Gov. Christie vetoed several reforms recently adopted by the DRPA board, saying they did not go far enough to strengthen accountability and transparency at the agency.

After a hastily arranged visit to DRPA headquarters in Camden, Christie said he expected embattled DRPA chief executive John Matheussen to be an "agent of change" to speed reform - and keep his job.

"I am not going to permit this agency to operate the way it has historically operated," Christie said at a press conference, with Matheussen standing behind him. "If we don't see this agency getting back to work . . . then we're going to have to make changes."

Christie vetoed, as inadequate, measures to:

- Exempt board members from new prohibitions on using their offices for political activity;

- Allow ex-employees to work for DRPA vendors within two years after leaving the DRPA, as long as they don't work on DRPA issues;

- Hire an outside firm to investigate the DRPA's practice of requiring insurance brokers to share their commissions with each other. Christie said the New Jersey comptroller should investigate, instead.

"I will not accept inaction as an excuse," Christie said, after an hour-long "very direct conversation" with Matheussen.

The bistate agency has board members from both Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

All of New Jersey's board members are appointed by the governor and the agency's chief executive officer traditionally has been appointed by New Jersey.

The politically connected agency, under fire for its spending practices and patronage, last week toughened conflict-of-interest, pay-to-play, and other rules in the face of a new round of criticism.

The DRPA operates the Ben Franklin, Walt Whitman, Betsy Ross and Commodore Barry Bridges and the PATCO High Speed Line. It also has spent almost $500 million a range of "economic development" projects, including museums, South Philadelphia sports stadiums and the apparently aborted construction of an aerial tram across the Delaware River.