December 12–19, 1996

city beat

Tom's River

Will Gov. Ridge clean house at the DRPA?

The Inquirer and Daily News stories of Oct. 17 said it all. Gov. Tom Ridge, thanks to the federal court of appeals, won the right to fire any of Pennsylvania's six appointed commissioners on the Delaware River Port Authority's (DRPA) board. The decision effectively ended Democratic control of the DRPA recently spearheaded by State Sen. Vince Fumo (D-Phila.).

Will Ridge dump DRPA Democrats, namely Fumo and ex-U.S. Congressman Lucien Blackwell, and stock the board with GOP buddies?

"That is an option I will continue to keep," Ridge said in a recent interview.

An "option," Ridge stressed, that is nice to have.

"It is good for me to have that option," said Ridge. "For now, I prefer to have the option rather than to exercise it. "

Ridge, it seems, is following a rule of thumb made famous in The Godfather. In the name of stability on the river and in Harrisburg, the governor will keep his friends close and his enemy — Fumo — even closer. But if Ridge changes his mind, Fumo and possibly Blackwell could find themselves on the outs.

Ridge won the war with Fumo after ex-DRPA chair Max Pievsky sued the governor for kicking him off the board in favor of Robert Bogle, president of the Philadelphia Tribune. Pievsky, a Northeast Philly Democrat appointed by former Gov. Bob Casey in December 1994 and a Fumo ally, lost the first round in April when U.S. District Judge Sylvia Rambo dismissed the case, then dropped the final round in October when the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Rambo's ruling.

Pievsky's suit stemmed from Casey's decision to appoint or reappoint Pennsylvania commissioners, including Pievsky, Fumo, Blackwell, and State Sen. Joe Loeper (R-Delaware County) in the closing days of his administration. After Ridge took office in January 1995, he secured the resignations of commissioners Rev. Nicholas S. Rashford and Eric Schnurer. But Pievsky, refusing to budge, sued.

If Pievsky had prevailed, many DRPA observers felt Fumo would continue to dominate the board's agenda for years to come.

The DRPA board is a bi-state body consisting of 16 commissioners from New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The DRPA, formed by federal law, operates the PATCO transit line, four toll bridges, and funds the Ports of Philadelphia and Camden (PPC), an entity which oversees Philadelphia's World Trade Division and AmeriPort intermodal freight facility. The PPC is expected to eventually unify operations at the South Jersey Port Corporation and the Philadelphia Regional Port Authority (PRPA).

Ridge's win is significant in light of "A River of Money," the series published by the Philadelphia Inquirer in November 1995. The series exposed how a DRPA overrun by overspending, inefficiency, and political patronage blew an $88 million surplus and pushed the authority toward a fiscal crisis during the mid-'90s.

The Inky's series described $100 million worth of "questionable" economic development projects including an ice rink, a heliport, shuttle buses, and amenities for Penn's Landing. The Inquirer also reported how the Fumo-controlled DRPA board shelled out $50 million of the funds at a single December 1993 meeting just weeks before ex-NJ Gov. Jim Florio left office. In addition, the Inquirer reported that dozens of people obtained high-paying jobs via political connections, a situation which bloated the DRPA payroll to $47 million.

The Inquirer's series spurred the DRPA board to slash its employee base and reduce economic development activity. Over the past year, DRPA commissioners reduced the Authority's employee level from 835 to 680 and cut its '97 budget by 8.7 percent to $50.9 million. The cutback, worth more than $5 million, allowed the DRPA board to hold the line on bridge tolls. Beyond that, the board has placed a moratorium on new economic development projects.

"From now on, anything we do [on economic development], there's got to be some accountability...we can measure the benefits," said Manuel Stamatakis, the DRPA chair who replaced Pievsky in January.

In lieu of capital expenses, Ridge and Stamatakis say the DRPA will focus on unifying the port operations in Camden and Philly through the PPC and will continue to improve the "EZ Pass" automated toll system.

Ridge stressed that DRPA board members should not expect a quick return to the days of big spending.

"I just don't think the DRPA has the luxury, absent the resources, to engage in that kind of activity," he said. "The first responsibility the DRPA has is to maintain and enhance [bridge] infrastructure and to make sure that PATCO is operating as smoothly and efficiently as possible."

Ridge, who labeled earlier DRPA waste as "very much an extension of Senator Fumo," made another point. Fumo's influence over board affairs stands at an all-time low.

"He was the go-to guy, the primary player," Ridge said. "He had extraordinary influence on process and personnel decisions."

But Ridge praised Fumo for working in cooperation with his appointees, calling the veteran pol "the most outspoken advocate" for Philadelphia's interests.

Fumo, who is still recovering from recent heart surgery, was unavailable for comment. Aides from his district office did not return calls seeking comment.

For his part, Stamatakis stressed there's a new sheriff in town, at least at the DRPA.

"We take our lead from the governor... clearly we're in the majority, the governor has control," he said.