New Jersey Slams New York For Its “Eleventh Hour” Attempt To Block Effort To End Waterfront Commission in Garden State; “Waterfront Commission Has Become Ineffectual,” New Jersey Writes In Brief Filed To U.S. Supreme Court
NORTH BERGEN, NJ – (March 22, 2022) Governor Phil Murphy and the State of New Jersey filed a legal brief last night to the U.S. Supreme Court against New York State and their attempts at blocking New Jersey from withdrawing from the Waterfront Commission Compact.
In their brief, New Jersey did not mince words as to why it has wanted to withdraw from the Compact for four years.
“The (Waterfront) Commission has become ineffectual,” New Jersey wrote in their brief, filed by the State’s Acting Attorney General Matt Platkin.
“To justify its continued existence, the Commission has overregulated the port, stifling commerce and exacerbating worker shortage,” New Jersey charged. “Worse still, scandals have tainted the Commission’s work,” citing a 2009 report by the New York Inspector General Investigation of the Waterfront Commission of New York Harbor. “And problems persist today.”
New Jersey opened its brief by slamming New York for waiting until the 11th hour to try to block New Jersey’s attempt to withdraw from the Waterfront Commission Compact.
Matthew J. Platkin, New Jersey Acting Attorney General
Citing multiple times New York failed to register any objection to New Jersey’s action, the State of New Jersey argued “Instead, New York chose to wait until the eleventh hour, seeking a preliminary injunction from this Court just two weeks before New Jersey’s scheduled withdrawal-and four years after New Jersey enacted its statue. Its belated motion fails on both the merits and the equities.”
ILA President Harold Daggett said his union applauded New Jersey’s action.
“I said it earlier this week and I’ll keep saying it: ‘New Jersey got it right and New York got it wrong,’ when it comes to who is best to oversee hiring in our great port,” said ILA President Daggett. The New Jersey State Police are ready to take over Monday, March 28th and we applaud New Jersey for staying the course and not to be swayed by New York’s last ditch effort to block New Jersey from doing what is right.”
https://nj.gov/governor/news/news/562022/approved/20220321a.shtml