The Delaware River Port Authority: A Functional Fiefdom

1. The Delaware River Port Authority: A Functional Fiefdom

2. Functional Fiefdom • Comes from the concept of a medieval feudal fiefdom • Structure of a fiefdom: A lord grants land to a vassal in exchange for allegiance • Lord retained ultimate ownership of the fief • Feudal fiefdoms were virtually autonomous and the nobility was answerable only to itself.

3. What is a Functional Fiefdom? • Self perpetuating, narrow purpose agencies • Each “fiefdom” oversees a functional area of public activity • Professional Bureaucracies; often form cozy relationships with interest groups • Operate specific, key governmental functions • Run by a board of appointed officials who are often eager to demonstrate their independence from politics and set milestones in the functional area

4. Problems with Functional Fiefdoms • Compounds the problem of making government responsible to the citizenry • Appointed officials enjoy tenure through a complex system of laws and administrative rules • There’s no real incentive for the functional fiefdoms to work together; often step on each other’s toes in pursuing their own interests • Structural organization of the fiefdom could make it difficult to accomplish things; tension and fighting within bureaucracy • Close relationships with interest groups could cause fiefdoms to put desires of the interest groups above the desires of the people

5. The “New” Political Machine • Theodore J. Lowi calls the administrative bureaucracies the “new” political machine. • Arose to perform service functions that the old political party machines were supposed to have performed • Also perform new service functions, such as urban renewal • These functions require more formalized administrative procedures than the old political machines could provide. The Tammany Hall Tiger sits atop New York City

6. Board of Commissioners Chairman: Edward Rendell Vice Chairman: Jeffrey L. Nash Appointed 2003 Appointed 2002 Publisher: Robert W. Bogle UnionPresident: Vincent J. Devito Appointed 2003 Appointed 2003 City Council: Frank Di Cicco Business Manager: E. Frank Di Antonio Appointed 2004 Appointed 2002 Financial Secretary Treasurer: Albert F. Frattalic Attorney: Kenneth I. Trujillo Appointed 2002 Appointed 2005 PA Treasurer: PA Auditor General: Robin Wiessmann Jack Wagner Ex-Officio Ex-Officio

7. Port Authority as a Fiefdom • Appointed by the Chief, who was not elected to its position of dominance. • Trickle down effect of power • Impressive power to act in urban redevelopment.

8. Functions • Every port authority promotes the general welfare and development within the port district, to encourage private capital investment by fostering the creation of industrial facilities within the port district and to endeavor to increase the volume of commerce. • The commissioners constitute agents of the state, their instructions take the form of legislative mandates. The work of the commissioners, in addition to administration, includes development, construction, operation, and protection of the Port District. The authority finances its activities from income such as tolls and by selling revenue bonds in the public market.

9. Job Opportunities • World Trade Center Site Positions • Planning and Regional Economic Professionals • Engineering • Finance, Management, Technical • Operations and Maintenance

10. Delaware River Port Authority 88 Years of Progress • 1919 • New Jersey and Pennsylvania approve the creation of Delaware River Bridge Joint Commission • Created to construct a bridge to cross the Delaware River, which at the time would have been the worlds longest suspension bridge • Construction of the bridge began in 1921 and was completed in 1926 • 100,000 people attended the opening ceremony and walked across before it was open to automobile traffic • This is the present day Benjamin Franklin Bridge • Made transportation from NJ to PA much easier and more efficient

11. 1948 • A study by the Delaware River Joint Bridge Commission recommends the creation of a regional port authority. The goal, according to the study, is to centralize port responsibilities and enhance port facilities. • Approved July 17, 1951, the DRPA is created • They approve the construction of a second bridge spanning from South Philadelphia to Gloucester Co. • They are also responsible for the construction of the Betsy Ross and Commodore Barry Bridges. • May 15, 1957 • The Walt Whitman Bridge is opened. • Within two decades the bridge will have a major impact on the Delaware Valley, leading to the development of : • the Philadelphia Food Distribution Center • Veterans Stadium and the Spectrum • the Atlantic City Expressway and New Jersey's Black Horse Pike communities.

12. 1967 • The DRPA establishes a subsidiary unit, the Port Authority Transport Corporation, the PATCO speed line • 1969 • PATCO • represents a new generation in urban transit systems. • earns the reputation as a customer-friendly system • Becomes known as the most efficient and dependable public transit system in the United States. One plan for the expansion of the speed line

13. 1988 • An agreement on a three-step program to improve the waterfront was developed: • First, the states will work to amend the Delaware River Port Authority's bi-state charter to enable it to engage in port unification and regional economic development. • Second, the Delaware River Port Authority will build an intermodal rail facility in Philadelphia. • Third, the agency will help revitalize Camden's business district by constructing a new headquarters building along the Delaware River. • 1992 • President George Bush signs the bill that amends the bi-state compact. The new compact broadens the responsibilities of the DRPA • Broadens the agency's mandate in the fields of port enhancement and economic development • Expands its area of responsibility to include the Pennsylvania counties of Bucks, Chester and Montgomery. • the DRPA begins investing in public improvements and private-sector initiatives

14. DRPA: Development • The DRPA’s Office of Business Development & Equal Opportunity(OBD&EO) offers programs to help grow and maintain disadvantaged businesses with 3 non discriminatory programs. • To increase business for disadvantaged businesses, the DRPA hosts a vendor event in which procurement cards are handed out in hopes to stimulate business between suppliers and business owners.

15. Nondiscrimination Programs • Minority-owned Business Enterprise & Women-owned Business Program (MBE & WBE Program) • Applied to all contracts for bid/proposal that are funded fully by DRPA revenue. • Once a project is set into motion the OBD&EO review all spectrums of the project in order to see where a “ready, willing and able” M/WBE can be contracted to participate in the effort. • Provisions require bidders/proposers to submit their M/WBE plan which identifies the M/WBE’s, a description of the services they will provide and the dollar value of the work they are to perform.

16. Nondiscrimination Programs • Disadvantaged Business Enterprise program (DBE program) • This program governs all contracts for bid/proposal that are funded in whole, or in part by funds received by the Federal Dept. of Transportation. • Under DBE, recipients of funds from the U.S. DOT, Federal Aviation Administration and Federal Highway Administration are required to band together and provide a Unified Certification Program (UCP), providing “one stop shopping” for DBE’s.

17. Nondiscrimination Programs • Vendor Diversity Program • Program governs all purchasing done by DRPA and PATCO. • Under regulations, buyers query their vendor database to locate companies who can supply a commodity or service . • The program requires buyers to rotate vendors to ensure that all companies get an equal opportunity to compete for purchases.

18. “Smart Growth” Transit Oriented Development in South Jersey • The DRPA and PATCO announced in 2007 that they would be proposing Transit Oriented Development (TOD). • While making economic sense, and improving the environment, they examined the idea of developing housing, commercial business and additional parking in areas along the PATCO rail line, encouraging public transportation use. • This will also boost the attractiveness of the area and improve the financial investment and stability of the area by attracting business and families. • Each community is gauged on their interest in development, to ensure that any development is consistent with the host community’s future plans. • The ‘smart growth initiative’ encourages growth on already developed land rather than clearing new areas so work will take place in current PATCO station parking area.

19. Questions • We discussed several problems associated with functional fiefdoms. Which one of these problems is the Delaware River Port Authority most susceptible to? Why? • Would the waterfront areas of Philadelphia and Camden be as developed and economically important if New Jersey and Pennsylvania each had their own separate authorities on the area? • What could be some of the benefits of Transit Oriented Development ? • Environmentally? • Conservation of land space? • Revitalizing the areas?