New Audit Scrutinizes DRPA

The Ben Franklin Bridge

By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog

Mattheussen (left) with Walt Whitman actor
Mattheussen (left) with Walt Whitman actor

The sun came up this morning, cats still hate dogs, the Middle East is a war zone and a new watchdog audit report is very critical of salary-related procedures at the hopelessly corrupt Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA).

It’s a status quo Tuesday for the human race, Save Jerseyans. Or at least for those fortunate enough to populate my native South Jersey.

Low-lights from the Courier-Post:

John Matheussen, the authority’s chief executive officer, took personnel actions “without the required approval of the (authority’s) chair and vice chair,” said a report by DRPA Inspector General Thomas W. Raftery III. The audit also said Matheussen’s decisions on the salary increases “were inconsistent” with discussions with representatives of Gov. Chris Christie, who opposes raises for authority workers.

“It is important to note that all actions taken by (Matheussen) were not provided to (Christie’s representatives),” the audit said, referring to the state Government Authorities Unit, or GAU.

The report, completed May 25 and made public Monday, also said salary issues are contributing to poor morale at the DRPA. It said the DRPA needs a defined compensation policy to combat perceptions of favoritism.

We’ve been critical of DRPA (and Mattheussen’s stewardship of it) for as long as there’s been a Save Jersey, folks, and at least one South Jersey legislative candidate is trying to bring the authority’s many abuses to the voters’ attention.

Here’s hoping that we somehow end up with enough Niki Trunks in Trenton come January 2014 to finally do something about rogue authorities. I won’t hold my breath but a guy can hope. What else do we have?

Matt Rooney
About Matt Rooney 8430 Articles
MATT ROONEY is SaveJersey.com's founder and editor-in-chief, a practicing New Jersey attorney, and the host of 'The Matt Rooney Show' on 1210 WPHT every Sunday evening from 7-10PM EST.

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