using PATCO as a political tool?

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/13511870.htm

what in the world is the point of this?

i'm a huge rendell supporter, but this is dirty politics at its worst

aside form that however, why would NJ want to stop the dredging of the Delaware River?

Rendell reiterates: He'd idle PATCO
By Mario F. Cattabiani and Elisa Ung
Inquirer Staff Writers

HARRISBURG - An agitated Gov. Rendell yesterday reiterated his warning that if New Jersey does not agree to deepen the Delaware River shipping channel, he will allow the PATCO High-Speed Line to shut down.

That led New Jersey's top leader on the Delaware River Port Authority to say that Rendell was acting like a "bully" and that his state would never permit a line used by 35,000 daily commuters to stop rolling.

nittany4 wrote:http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/13511870.htm

what in the world is the point of this?

Pretty much what it says--Rendell is holding PATCO passengers (most of whom are from New Jersey) hostage in order to get his New Jersey counterpart to approve the deeper dredging of the river.

The power to shut down PATCO comes from the fact that at least one Pennsylvania vote is necessary to approve the DRPA budget (budget year ends Dec. 31, I assume), and without said budget, there is no operating subsidy for PATCO. That said, and having seen the various accounting measures SEPTA used in the absence of adequate funding, I assume PATCO could operate at least for a short time without a DRPA budget.

i'm a huge rendell supporter, but this is dirty politics at its worst

Well, I wouldn't call it "dirty," but it's certainly hardball politics.

aside form that however, why would NJ want to stop the dredging of the Delaware River?

Several reasons, including the fact that some of the spoils would be dumped in New Jersey. New Jersey has less to gain from the dredging port-wise than Pennsylvania. There's also the possibility that the Jersey politicians want some unrelated concession from Rendell, either on patronage or on economic development projects in New Jersey, and are holding the dredging hostage to get Rendell to support the New Jersey stuff.

nittany4 wrote:http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/13511870.htm

what in the world is the point of this?

i'm a huge rendell supporter, but this is dirty politics at its worst

aside form that however, why would NJ want to stop the dredging of the Delaware River?

Rendell reiterates: He'd idle PATCO
By Mario F. Cattabiani and Elisa Ung
Inquirer Staff Writers

HARRISBURG - An agitated Gov. Rendell yesterday reiterated his warning that if New Jersey does not agree to deepen the Delaware River shipping channel, he will allow the PATCO High-Speed Line to shut down.

That led New Jersey's top leader on the Delaware River Port Authority to say that Rendell was acting like a "bully" and that his state would never permit a line used by 35,000 daily commuters to stop rolling.

Let's get down to the nitty-gritty. Rendell will be running for re-election in 2006, and he needs every vote he can get against perhaps a strong GOP candidate [Lynn Swann?]. So one way he gets the votes is by delivering big-ticket items to your largest bloc of votes, and in this case it's the Philly-area Labor Unions. The dredging project will benefit a lot of Labor Unions [especially construction, and dockworker/longshoremen unions], and they will reward him with their votes in the general election next November.

It is the same thinking that caused him to intervene in the SEPTA strike and try to get it settled in the relatively short time the workers were out. If he let the strike drag on, then the votes probably would not be there for him in '06 as people will remember his ineffectiveness. That would be unacceptable, so he had to deliver something to the Union. Remember he is doing this so the Union can tell their PA resident members to vote for Rendell.

The reason NJ does not want the dredging is for environmental reasons, plus the sight of massive ships going up and down the Delaware River is unnerving to wildlife and recreational boaters.

In short, this is one state looking at jobs and revenue [PA], vs. a state with environmental concerns [NJ].

Bus Gov. Rendell is WRONG to try to screw over PATCO riders over this issue. It would hurt in the long run as the lack of transit coming over from S. Jersey would increase Center City traffic, cause more gridlock in the city and eventually drive away those high-paying white-collar jobs the city covets so much, and those S. Jersey residents would stop driving into the City and work on the Jersey side of the Delaware River.

PATCO carries 35,000 people a day, that's about 21, 000 less cars on the streets of Center City, and believe me, NJT buses CANNOT absorb the PATCO riders at all, there's simply not enough buses to handle that line's traffic.

Matt Mitchell wrote:

Several reasons, including the fact that some of the spoils would be dumped in New Jersey. New Jersey has less to gain from the dredging port-wise than Pennsylvania. There's also the possibility that the Jersey politicians want some unrelated concession from Rendell, either on patronage or on economic development projects in New Jersey, and are holding the dredging hostage to get Rendell to support the New Jersey stuff.

The most important change in the NJ political dynamic may be the election of John Corzine. He is far less inclined (because of his ability to fund his own campaign) to entertain SJ political aspirations.

While some of the SJ politicians don't want dredging for environmental reasons, North Jersey Dems are still smarting from perceived domination by the SJ Dem power structure (lead by George Norcross) for the last four years. The interests in North Jersey are not the least bit interested in funding any activity which would make Delaware River ports more competititve.

The perfect storm of parochial NJ politcal interests: South Jersey anti-dredging NIMBYism and North Jersey hoarding funding resources.

About a decade ago, then NJ Gov. Whitman caved in the face of similar threats from the Pennsylvania DRPA delegation then led by PA State Senator Vince Fumo, cited in the article as now calling for dialouge (isn't it ironic, don't ya think - a little too ironic, I really do think).

It will be interesting to watch.

The perfect storm of parochial NJ politcal interests: South Jersey anti-dredging NIMBYism and North Jersey hoarding funding resources.

Rendell is perfectly within his right to withhold funding. NJ does not want to support the dredging because any increased port traffic to Philadelphia (mind you would boost freight traffic to the former Reading Port Richmond freight yard--which recently got a grant to reinstall freight siding to Tioga Marine Terminal) would mean competition with the port traffic in North Jersey. Its politics and money.

While this is a pipe deam, it would be nice for the city to use this as an opportunity to give another look at the Locust Street Subway and the benefits Philadelphians would receive if there was direct SEPTA subway service from Fern Rock to Rittenhouse Square. Not going to happen, but I happened to be on the BRS the other day and it was packed. Not much traffic at Fairmount or Chinatown, but lots of people going to 8th-Market. With North Philly cleaning its act up (in certain regards), I could see people taking the subway to Rittenhouse, or 8th Street. Plenty of jobs at both places, and it would make taking ths subway much more enticing as it would either eliminate a transfer at 15th Street, or to PATCO, or to a slimy bus.