NJ Governor Mikie Sherrill delays appointment of New York Port Authority executive director.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill is currently obstructing the appointment of a new executive director for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, creating a stalemate that has significant implications for the bistate agency. Governor Sherrill’s administration seeks to reinstate the role of deputy executive director at the Port Authority and appoint her former chief of staff, Jean Roehrenbeck, to this position. This move has raised concerns among New York officials, specifically Governor Kathy Hochul, who has nominated Kathryn Garcia, a senior aide in her administration, for the executive director role.
The impasse stems from New Jersey’s conditional support for Garcia’s candidacy. Sherrill’s refusal to endorse Hochul’s nominee hinges on New York’s acceptance of her proposal to reintegrate the deputy executive director position—a role that has remained vacant since the fallout from the Bridgegate scandal in 2013. During that incident, former Deputy Director Bill Baroni was implicated in a scheme involving traffic lanes on the George Washington Bridge that were deliberately closed to target the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, New Jersey.
The deputy executive director position was typically filled by New Jersey, while the executive director was appointed by New York. In the absence of the deputy role, an informal agreement allowed New Jersey to claim the chairmanship of the Port Authority’s board, currently held by Kevin O’Toole, a veteran New Jersey political figure.
As discussions continue between Albany and Trenton, the situation is described by insiders as a maneuver by Sherrill to reorganize an agency populated by allies of her predecessor, former Governor Phil Murphy. The ongoing negotiations have resulted in a precarious status for Garcia’s nomination, which is contingent on a resolution to the deadlock.
Rick Cotton, who has served as the Port Authority’s executive director for several years, is set to retire at the end of the month, which adds urgency to the situation. Both governors’ offices have remained silent on the matter, with no comments provided to media inquiries. The outcome of this political tug-of-war will likely have lasting ramifications for the Port Authority, a crucial agency responsible for transportation infrastructure serving both New York and New Jersey. As the appointment process continues, stakeholders will be closely monitoring developments, particularly as they pertain to broader power dynamics between the two states.
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