Christie appointee kept Fort Lee in dark on closures

[brooklynite]

Source: Crain's New York Business

David Wildstein, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey official who ordered lanes closed at the George Washington Bridge, told agency staff not to alert the town of Fort Lee, N.J., about the move.

Mr. Wildstein, an appointee of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, "made it clear that he would control the communication about the toll lane closures," the Port Authority said Thursday in response to questions from U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller, the West Virginia Democrat who is chairman of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee.

...snip...

"The Port Authority officials who ordered the Sept. 9 to 13 George Washington Bridge lane closures did not follow their agency's own procedures," Mr. Rockefeller said. "The Port Authority needs to fully explain what steps it is taking to make sure nothing like this ever happens again."

Mr. Wildstein directed Robert Durando, general manager for the bridge, not to tell Fort Lee officials of the lane closings. Facility management "raised the concern of not advising Fort Lee as a negative impact to a longstanding productive working relationship that had been established between facility operations staff and the borough," according to the answers.

Read more: http://www.crainsnewyork.com/article/20140116/POLITICS/140119891/christie-appointee-kept-fort-lee-in-dark-on-closures

---

Now that the Feds are involved, I suspect things will be getting unpleasant...

[lark]

1. Christie is guilty as hell

Pisses me off how the Repug MSM is saying "oh, he went public, took "responsibility" and fired his good friend who did this - the story's over". BULLSHIT! Christie lied over and over. He had met with Wildstein recently,despite saying he hadn't seen him in such a LONG time. He didn't just find out about this the day prior to the "big show" - went to Cuoma on 12/19 asking for the investigation to stop. Why would he do that unless he was trying to hide this?

[Cha]

8. Whadda they gonna say? "Chistie's spinning a load of BS as fast as his

little feet can spin? Nah, they'll stick to their usual playbook and blame Obama.

[TwilightGardener]

2. TRAFFIC STUDY is the new APPALACHIAN TRAIL.

Gotta love Republicans, such knee-jerk liars, always.

[libdem4life]

3. Still wonder how the final funding for the $1 billion development project, which was hung

up for some time, completed it's funding on the following Monday. That's a pretty quick turnaround from months of difficulties. Therein lies big money, huge profits, political influence, potential damage, cronyism aplenty to warrant what seem to be petty and silly reasons floated...which make ia a kind of non-scandal scandal. Without the important 3 lane access from Ft. Lee, the value was significantly decreased. That's the message I believe was intended. Who, why and how...don't know.

[bucolic_frolic]

6. You are hot on the trail

Hope they get to the bottom of it, wherever it leads

personal fueds, political punishment, cronyism, paybacks, whatever

[libdem4life]

7. Was in the business long ago, and these guys are so used to operating beneath the radar...

like that guy Sampson...they have plenty on anyone who would have anything valuable to say about it. And everyone has families they love, if you get what I mean.

The Democrats are involved up to their ears in it, as well, so will be surprised if either "investigation" does anything but run up the taxpayer's tab. True bipartisanship...spreading the loot around...so I doubt it will ever get to this subject. The donors are already lining up to give him money. Why? Many are likely in on the financing of the project already.

The Feds, maybe, but still, this is New Jersey.

[wilt the stilt]

4. squeeze him

If we can make his actions criminal and then the police come down with serving time watch him squeal like a pig.

[leftynyc]

13. He's already asking for immunity

This is the guy who plead the Fifth last week. At the end of his "testimony" he wanted to discuss immunity. Kornacki feels he's the most likely to turn on Christie to save himself. I found it interesting that Kornacki brought up that it looked like Wildstein didn't even warn Christie that those emails were going to be released.

[Kingofalldems]

5. Another Smoking Gun.

That's about 10 now.

Removal from office would be too lenient now. Indictment needed.

[rocktivity]

9. DING DING DING! Brooklynite, you're our grand prize winner!

Now that the Feds are involved...

Yep -- and the reason why the Feds are involved is because "Governor Soprano" forgot that it's the Port Authority of New York AND New Jersey. With more than one state involved, it's subject to Federal scrutiny. Otherwise, all Christie would have had to do was muscle through his nominations for state supreme court judge and attorney journal, and any investigation would have been cut off at the knees.

There may be such a thing as a perfect crime, but this isn't it.


rocktivity

[DallasNE]

10. Why Do People So Readily Carry Out Clearly Wrong Orders

It is too timid to just "raise concern". Apparently they never consider becoming a whistleblower and instead do the dirty work. They need to grow some balls.

[brooklynite]

11. As a former Port Authority employee, let me offer the following...

First, most people in decision-making positions are neither Union nor Civil Service. I wasn't.

Second, I suspect that the order wasn't "close off the toll booth to screw over Fort Lee"; it was likely "close two lanes for X days", possible framed as "for traffic study purposes".

[alp227]

12. Wildstein orchestrated Fort Lee lane closures despite no formal approval, warnings of crashes

Article by the Trentonian