Frank DiCicco calls for eliminating four DRPA appointments

Frank DiCicco, Philadelphia city councilman and board member of the Delaware River Port Authority, Friday proposed dumping four politically connected jobs at the DRPA to save more than $583,000 a year.

In addition to the savings, there would be a political bonus for DiCicco: The only one of the four jobs that is filled now is held by an ally of his rival, fellow board member and union leader John Dougherty.

The four jobs DiCicco proposed to cut are:

Public safety chief, salary $180,081. Michael Joyce resigned last month after it was revealed that he had borrowed a free E-ZPass transponder in 2008 from another DRPA executive for his daughter to use for 18 months to attend school in Montgomery County.

Corporate secretary, salary $123,806. John Lawless, whose E-ZPass Joyce borrowed, was dismissed in April and escorted by security guards from DRPA headquarters for reasons still unexplained. He continues to collect his salary. On Thursday, he sent an e-mail to all DRPA board members, asking to be allowed to return to work.

Assistant to the chairman, salary $140,000. This post, reporting to Chairman John Estey, is held by Mary-Rita D'Alessandro. Dougherty referred her for this position. D'Alessandro used to be the in-house attorney for Dougherty's union, Electricians Local 98. During the John F. Street administration, she was a special assistant to the mayor in his press office. In Edward G. Rendell's mayorship, she was a deputy commissioner of licenses and inspections.

Assistant to the vice chairman, salary $140,000. This post, reporting to Vice Chairman Jeffrey L. Nash, a Camden County freeholder, was filled by Joyce before he was promoted to the public safety position in 2008. It is vacant.

DiCicco noted Friday that a recently released independent audit of the DRPA recommended getting rid of the assistants to the chairman and vice chairman. The posts "have no appropriate role or responsibility in managing or operating the agency," according to the audit, which added that "incumbents may not be held accountable by either the board leadership or the staff leadership alone, and they are in a position to disrupt legitimate analysis and decisionmaking."

DiCicco said the DRPA had operated without a corporate secretary since Lawless left in April. Regarding the public safety chief's position, he said Joyce was one of three people paid to do duties once performed by one person, former Police Chief Vince Borelli, who retired under pressure in 2008.

"So I will make a formal resolution at our next meeting to eliminate those four positions," DiCicco said. "What do we lose? Nothing."

In addition to a half-million dollars in salaries, DiCicco said, the agency would save as much as 30 percent more on benefits.

Dougherty, who has been pushing for former Philadelphia City Controller Joseph Vignola to be named DRPA corporate secretary, said he did not want to get rid of that job but did not object to eliminating the assistants' jobs, including D'Alessandro's.

"I respect Councilman DiCicco's recommendations," Dougherty said. "I only hope he's sincere in his reasons for eliminating the positions and that it's not a personal vendetta against a couple of individuals. Mary-Rita D'Alessandro has a distinguished legal career and Joe Vignola is highly regarded, so much so that Gov. Rendell and Chairman Estey were prepared to name him as the new corporate secretary."

Dougherty, who this week called for the dismissal of embattled DRPA chief executive John Matheussen, said, "Either Mary-Rita or Joe would be great CEO candidates."

Dougherty said DiCicco had objected to Vignola during a closed-door caucus session, saying "flatly that he did not like him personally or professionally."

"That being said, I believe we can do away with the two [assistant] positions. I still don't understand why we replaced Chief Borelli with three people."

Dougherty also took a thinly veiled shot at DiCicco, whose ex-wife, Fran, is a secretarial employee at the DRPA.

"It's no secret that DiCicco has family and friends working at the DRPA. It's easy to call for reform when you've already grabbed your piece of the pie," Dougherty said.

DiCicco responded in a statement: "John, how dare you question my sincerity. You're not the only commissioner who has ideas on how best to deal with the interests at the DRPA.

"You're the one who brought up Joe Vignola. It's interesting how in caucus and more recently you pretend to support John Lawless and now you're defending the more recent suggestion to hire Vignola. Sounds like you want it both ways! But then again that's what you do."

"As for having family and friends working at the DRPA, absolutely! Would you care to list the people whom you have sponsored over the years, against those that have my name attached to theirs?"

DiCicco said he did "not recall having said that I do not like Joe Vignola."

"I believe I said that I would not support him just because the chairman would recommend him for the position, but that I did not believe at the time, nor do I believe now, that it's a position that needs to be filled, not withstanding that I do not get along with Joe politically."

DiCicco concluded with a hint at more challenges:

"I suggest, John, that we, the commissioners, work together in the best interests of the DRPA and the people who use its bridges and not turn this into a political debate.

"That debate will come in due time when and if you make your formal announcement to challenge me in the next municipal primary election. You see, John, I never believed you when you said in a past caucus meeting that you were 'done with politics.' "

The DRPA, which operates four Delaware River toll bridges and the PATCO commuter rail line between Philadelphia and South Jersey, has faced growing criticism.

On Wednesday, Estey said 16 changes requested by Govs. Christie and Rendell will be voted on at the Aug. 18 meeting and will be the subject of a hearing before that.

The changes, he said, are designed to improve openness and reduce political influence. Some other board members, including Pennsylvania Treasurer Robert McCord and Auditor General Jack Wagner, said the reforms don't go far enough.