The events have provided a window into how the DRPA's so-called leaders really operate.
The agency was created to oversee the operation and maintenance of four bridges that connect Pennsylvania and New Jersey, as well as the PATCO line. But the 16 board members are there because of whom they know - not what they know about bridges or safety. It's basically a $300 million shadow government used to funnel funding, contracts, and jobs to friends, family, and firms with ties to whoever is in power in Pennsylvania and New Jersey at the time.
If there happens to be any money left over, the bridges may get a fresh coat of paint.
The players may change, but the game has always been the same: Divvy up the public pork and do it in the dark.
I remember covering a DRPA meeting in 1997 in which the board was to discuss giving $50 million to lure Norwegian shipbuilder Kvaerner ASA to the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard. The money was part of a $400 million package in federal, state, and local tax money earmarked for Kvaerner.
The meeting was supposed to begin at 10 a.m. For two hours, the public waited while the DRPA board hashed out the deal behind closed doors. A catered lunch arrived at noon. I recall then-State Sen. Vincent J. Fumo, who was on the board before going to prison, exiting the backroom with a big smile.
After the board ate, the members opened the meeting and approved the funding in minutes, with little debate. That's how business gets done at the DRPA.
The latest scandals would have gone on without much public scrutiny if not for questions raised by electricians union boss John Dougherty.
