The former Port Authority officials (five who are no longer with the
agency and one who is still there) outlined the strategy and execution
of the plan in separate interviews with The Star-Ledger. Each asked that
their names not be used because they feared repercussions from speaking
out even after they had left the agency.
The first proposal disclosed to the public, the former officials
explained, was deliberately inflated. Also planned was Christie and
Cuomo’s shocked — shocked! — reaction and an unusual one-day series of
eight public hearings. Those hearings were all held during the morning
or evening rush hours to discourage attendance by irate commuters, but
were stacked with union members who backed the hike because of the
construction jobs it would fund.
Port Authority officials: Battle over toll hikes was all for show
