DRPA - will the nonsense ever end?

According to the news reports,(use your own judgement here), they were opposed to both the DRPA running it and the huge amount of money that's going to be spent. I didn't read about any Nimby-type opposition. This seemed to be more interviews the press did after the meeting. I didn't notice any news reports about it coming up at the meeting, but again I'm only parrotting what I read.

FOX29 reported this evening that the FBI & IRS are now investigating DRPA. Looks like they're in for a bumpy ride.

Clearfield wrote:FOX29 reported this evening that the FBI & IRS are now investigating DRPA. Looks like they're in for a bumpy ride.

Couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch of folks. Merde alors!

dreese_us wrote:Just received a letter in the mail from the PA Turnpike, EZ Pass transponders going from 3 dollars a year to 6 dollars a year for the privilage of having one. PA Turnpike toll increase will be 10 percent for those paying cash and 3 percent for EZ Pass users. Not sure if discounts apply to all EZ Pass tag holders or just PA Turnpike issued transponders.

I got that letter too. I think it may only apply to PA Turnpike-issued tags.

I would rather see NJT have responsibility for the Woodbury-Glassboro line. Let the DRPA deal with PATCO and its own affairs.....

Silverliner II wrote:

dreese_us wrote:Just received a letter in the mail from the PA Turnpike, EZ Pass transponders going from 3 dollars a year to 6 dollars a year for the privilage of having one. PA Turnpike toll increase will be 10 percent for those paying cash and 3 percent for EZ Pass users. Not sure if discounts apply to all EZ Pass tag holders or just PA Turnpike issued transponders.

I got that letter too. I think it may only apply to PA Turnpike-issued tags.

I would rather see NJT have responsibility for the Woodbury-Glassboro line. Let the DRPA deal with PATCO and its own affairs.....

I hope it goes for everyone, cuz I don't have a turnpike issued tag but use the turnpike for my daily commute. Wouldn't it be easier to make it available for everyone?

Woodbury-Glassboro, particularly since it won't be crossing the river, should be lead by NJT (but DRPA could certainly help put money towards it). DRPA should work on the waterfront development on both sides of the river .

Tritransit Area wrote: Woodbury-Glassboro, particularly since it won't be crossing the river, should be lead by NJT (but DRPA could certainly help put money towards it). DRPA should work on the waterfront development on both sides of the river .

No! DRPA should only do what it is intended to do. Maintain those methods of transportation that either cross or go in the Delaware River. Even the DRPA compact states that any waterfront improvement should be done for the sake of increasing port traffic, not tourists! That type of improvement is the responsibility of the respective cities.

It's now October, and the nonsense hasn't ended yet.....

Credit-card use by top DRPA managers detailed

The Philadephia Inquirer wrote: Top managers at the Delaware River Port Authority ran up corporate credit-card expenses of $38,167 in 13 months, DRPA records show.

The records for the American Express card expenses incurred between June 2009 and June 2010 show that when DRPA executives traveled by train, it was usually on the Acela Express, and that some had a fondness for lunch at the Palm in Center City.

More from that article:

DRPA spokeswoman Danelle Hunter said the $2,422 expense for Pulte and D'Alessandro was justified because the "Pennsylvania Society provides networking opportunities for regional business leaders and elected officials from Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware. Opportunities for this kind of 'one stop/face-to-face' networking are rare and benefit organizations like the Delaware River Port Authority that have a stake in the Philadelphia region."

You see this networking nonsense with non-profits, too. From http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2009/1 ... rofit.html:

Higher salaries also can bring the status, both symbolic and practical, that allows nonprofit leaders to better connect with the big donors they need to woo.

"The thought is that they interact with corporate and political leaders," said John Van Til, an author and professor at Rutgers University. "It's important for them to be socially connected, for their children to go to the same schools."

Since we can't really vote with our pocketbooks in the case of the DRPA, we should ask them to materially justify these "social" expenses and why they can't just meet with these businesspeople and politicians during working hours.

Here's more:
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/0 ... ity_7.html

A football field will be built on a five-acre site behind a Pennsauken elementary school with money provided by the Delaware River Port Authority, according to a report on CourierPostOnline.com.

Pennsauken Mayor Ricardo Taylor is one of several of local leaders who is a commissioner on the bi-state DRPA, which has recently come under scrutiny for its spending practices.