Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski (D-Middlesex) released the following statement in anticipation of Governor Christie’s South Plainfield town hall meeting:
“I hope that Governor Christie will use the opportunity of his visit to Middlesex County to explain why he is engaging in an all-out offensive to stop any public scrutiny of the problems at the Port Authority.
“In light of a bipartisan recognition that the agency is troubled, a preliminary audit that called the Port Authority a ‘challenged and dysfunctional organization suffering from a lack of consistent leadership’, a toll increase that will raise rates by 50% in the next few years and contradictory justifications for the higher tolls, the legislature would be failing to meet its responsibility to our residents if we did not seek answers. It begs the question ‘what exactly is the Governor afraid of the public finding out?’
“Rather than subverting a legitimate legislative inquiry, the Governor’s energy would be better spent directing the Port Authority to respond to the Freedom of Information Act requests that the agency has ignored and encouraging its cooperation with the legislature.”