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Eustace & Lagana Statement on GWB Guilty Plea & Indictments

Assemblymen Tim Eustace and Joseph Lagana (D-Bergen/Passaic) issued the following statement on Friday:

“The September 2013 George Washington Bridge access lane closures put the residents of Fort Lee, drivers within Bergen County and commuters from across the state in danger without a known legitimate cause,” said Eustace. “A thorough pursuit of justice on their behalf requires that the authority figures who allegedly were involved go through the same legal process as anyone believed to have endangered the public welfare.”

“Aside from jeopardizing the people’s safety, the clear abuse of power that led to the lane closures violated the public trust,” Eustace continued. “While we are confident that the justice system will determine who is liable for this particular situation, we cannot ignore the larger issue at hand – the need for Port Authority reform.”

“The Port Authority’s structure makes it possible for a small group of gubernatorial appointees to make decisions that affect millions of people and manage a budget larger than that of 26 states, all with minimal public oversight,” said Lagana. “This concentration of power compromises our democratic ideals and makes the agency susceptible to the kind of wrongdoing conducted while these individuals were at the helm.”

“As the judicial system clarifies what exactly happened in 2013, we will continue to work with our colleagues in the legislature in advocating for greater transparency at the Port Authority to ensure that nothing like this ever happens again,” said Lagana.