A hearing in Trenton on NJ Transit’s controversial performance on Super Bowl Sunday has been cancelled, reportedly because NJ Transit, the National Football League, and MetLife Stadium refused to cooperate, according to statements by Assembly Transportation Committee chair Assemblyman John Wisniewski and reported by Karen Rouse in The Record newspaper (February 21). The hearing had been scheduled for Monday, Feb. 24. Wisniewski had hoped to hear from outgoing NJ Transit Executive Director James Weinstein about the controversial event, but according to Wisniewski, “I was advised by James Weinstein that he was told he cannot attend the hearing and provide explanations for recent problems suffered by the agency.” Weinstein had announced his resignation from his post 3 days before. Wisniewski called the failure of NJ Transit and the other organizations to participate “disappointing” and “an insult to the riders inconvenienced by the many recent problems”; he said he would postpone the hearings until March.
Meanwhile, NJ Transit announced a special meeting of its Board of Directors for 2:30 p.m. on Monday, February 24, to vote to appoint Veronique “Ronnie” Hakim as Weinstein’s successor as Executive Director of the transit agency.
The apparent reluctance of NJ Transit to cooperate with the legislative inquiry has political aspects, as the Assembly is controlled by Democrats, and the management of NJ Transit is controlled by the Republican administration of Gov. Chris Christie.
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