(The following article by Larry Higgs was posted on the Asbury Park Press website on February 3.)
NEWARK, N.J. — Former Gov. James Florio said he expects the search committee that he heads to give the name of a replacement for NJ Transit Executive Director George Warrington to Gov. Corzine in the next two to three months.
Meanwhile, a group of passenger advocates expressed anger that a bus or train rider wasn’t named to the search committee.
“Within a month or two we will offer our recommendation to the governor,” Florio said. “We’ve had at least 30 applicants from the cream of the crop.”
Warrington resigned Jan. 11, effective March 31, to pursue other options. Since then, Warrington, who was a former Amtrak president, has remained silent about his plans or if he has been offered or has taken a specific job.
Warrington has been NJ Transit’s director for the past five years. He was appointed in March 2002 by then-Gov. James E. McGreevey.
David Peter Allan, president of the Lackawanna Commuter Coalition, criticized state officials for leaving passengers off the committee.
“Some of the reaction was so predictable. A search committee was formed, and not a single rider advocate was appointed,” he said. “Only one member was a commuter with a background in transportation; the rest were politicians.”
The search committee was named by Corzine on Jan. 17 to mount a nationwide search for a new executive director. The search committee includes transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri; Anthony R. Coscia, chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; Richard C. Leone, president of the Century Foundation; Bernadette P. McPherson, Bergen County freeholder and mayor of Rutherford; Martin Robins, senior fellow at Voorhees Transportation Center; and Bishop David G. Evans of Bethany Baptist Church in Lindenwold.
Brendan Gilfillan, spokesman for Corzine, said state officials have contacted passenger advocates since Allan’s remarks.
“We intend for them to have a significant voice in the search process, and the search committee has reached out to them and will continue to,” Gilfillan said. “We’ll be listening to them throughout the entire process.”
Allan said he was contacted for his suggestions about possible candidates. But he said advocates have not been offered a seat on the committee. Robins and Kolluri are the only committee members with transportation experience, he said.
“A decision this important to riders should not be made without full participation of an experienced rider who knows the issues,” Allan said. “What kind of expertise do these people have to select a candidate? This is a transit issue.”