The shambles of vengeful politicking and ethical corner-cutting that goes by the name of the Port Authority is chaired by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s close associate David Samson.
As the saying goes, the fish rots from the head.
Samson’s three years leading the board of the bi-state agency have produced a list of disasters longer than the George Washington Bridge backups engineered by his underlings.
The shockwaves touched off by Bridgegate have made clear that Samson perverted the PA into a toll-financed dispensary of favors and punishments for Christie allies and enemies — as well as a benefactor of clients of Samson’s law firm.
Judging that Samson is worse than incompetent, the Daily News Editorial Board put this question to Executive Director Pat Foye, a Gov. Cuomo appointee, and Deputy Executive Director Deb Gramiccioni, a Christie representative :
“Does David Samson have the moral authority to run the Port Authority?”
“No,” Foye answered bluntly.
Asked to explain, he continued, “I am not going to elaborate, but that is my view.”
Gramiccioni declined to second the motion, but damningly she did not give her stamp of approval to Samson’s fitness. “You have to respect the integrity of the process before you can answer that question,” she said.
Here’s the standard that should apply: If you can’t wholeheartedly vouch for the moral standing of a top government official, it’s past time to find new leadership. Samson must go in order for the Port Authority to get back on track.
Composed of 12 members — six appointed by each of the two governors — the PA board charts regional transportation and economic development policy. By tradition, Jersey’s governor appoints the board chair and New York’s governor names the executive director.
Through the years, the structure produced interstate squabbling, but never dysfunction approaching the mess of the Samson era. The PA is now two warring agencies in one, thanks largely to Samson’s Christie spear carriers.
Infamously, Christie’s political henchman at the authority, David Wildstein, was key to engineering Bridgegate, and Gramiccioni’s predecessor, Deputy Executive Director Bill Baroni, helped carry out the coverup.
Wildstein wrote in an email that he hoped Samson would retaliate against Foye for stopping the bridge scheme and Samson expressed anger that Foye was “stirring up trouble.” Closer to the wallet, Samson’s firm has represented three parties who had business with the Port or stood to gain from PA actions.
In one case, Samson publicly supported the authority’s takeover of the Atlantic City airport at a time when his firm counted the South Jersey Transportation Authority, which owned the airport, as a client. Belatedly recognizing the conflict, Samson finally recused himself from formally voting on the deal he’d backed, and the airport owner retained a different firm.
In a second case, Samson voted to approve reconstruction of the Harrison, N.J. PATH station while his firm represented a developer who planned to convert a nearby warehouse into luxury apartments.
In a third case, Samson voted to grant NJTransit a $1-a-year lease on a parking lot while his firm represented the railroad. Foye and Gramiccioni are asking the board to vote again on the deal, giving Samson an opportunity to recuse himself without the excuse that a clerical error of some kind failed to record that he had disqualified himself. Far better, dump Samson.
