One of the last official acts of New Jersey’s outgoing governor, Chris Christie, may be to have his cash-strapped statewide transit agency pay about $12 million to buy a maintenance facility for boats that it does not have.
New Jersey Transit, the much-maligned operator of commuter trains and buses, wants to acquire the only remaining dry docks in Hoboken for the exclusive use of a privately held ferry company, New York Waterway. If the agency goes through with the purchase, it will do so over the strenuous objections of Hoboken’s new mayor, Ravinder S. Bhalla, and his predecessor, Dawn Zimmer, who is a member of the transition team of Mr. Christie’s successor, Philip D. Murphy.
Mr. Murphy, a Democrat, has chosen a commissioner of transportation who will chair the board of directors of New Jersey Transit as of next week. But that may be a few days too late for the plan’s opponents, many of whom want the waterfront site turned into a public park.
The agency’s board had been scheduled to vote on the purchase on Wednesday morning, but that meeting was abruptly canceled and rescheduled, first for Friday and then for Monday, which will be Mr. Christie’s last full day as governor and is a state holiday. The postponement provided Mr. Bhalla and his allies with an additional 48 hours to try to block a sale that they say is a political favor to a successful company and an attempt to circumvent Hoboken’s ability to decide how land within its borders should be used.
Recente reacties