April 2, 2014
By Marc Bussanich
New York, NY—Pat Foye, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, presented the authority’s 10-year, $27.6 billion capital plan at an event at the New York Hilton hosted by the New York Building Congress. He then took questions from reporters to get his reaction to the Randy Mastro Report that cleared Gov. Chris Christie of wrongdoing at the George Washington Bridge. Video
Brian Thompson, the New Jersey reporter for NBC 4 New York, first asked Mr. Foye of his reaction.
“The only parts of the Mastro report I’ve read are page 269 and 270. I’ve not read the remainder and don’t intend to, so I don’t have an opinion,” said Foye.
Mr. Thompson also asked him about the idea about bifurcating the Port Authority that Governor Christie floated at his press conference last week one day after the Mastro report was released.
Foye said during his talk that it would be an extraordinarily challenging and difficult endeavor to divide up the bi-state Port Authority into two different state agencies responsible for overseeing major transportation assets in the region.
“As Governor Cuomo [recently] noted, the existing financial and legal base of the Port Authority is based on bi-state assets, finances and financing streams. And Governor Cuomo also noted the complexity of taking on something like that,” said Foye.
One day after the Mastro report was released David Samson resigned as the authority’s chairman. Foye told the Daily News in February that Mr. Samson lacked the moral authority to lead the authority. Foye was asked whether he would miss Samson now that’s he’s left.
“Look, Chairman Samson served ably as the attorney general for the state of New Jersey and I think he’s to be thanked and commended for his public service,” Foye said.
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