Christopher Ward, executive director of the Port Authority, intends to resign by the end of October according to reports. Combined with the departure of Jay Walder from the MTA this means that Governor Andrew Cuomo is in a position to firmly put his stamp on New York's transportation systems. The departure of Ward, a David Paterson appointee credited with getting the World Trade Center back on track, has been rumored since Cuomo took first office. And, again, rumors of Cuomo's coldness are mentioned.
When Walder stepped down, there was talk that Cuomo basically ignored him. Now the Times reports, "[As] with Mr. Walder, the governor never established a smooth working relationship with Mr. Ward. During Mr. Cuomo’s nine months in office, the two never spoke at length in person, according to the governor’s appointment schedules; e-mails from Mr. Ward’s office to the governor’s staff routinely went unreturned." That's some ninja governing—make it so uncomfortable that people have to quit!
The role of executive director of the PA traditionally has gone to loyal friends to the governor and Ward, a Bloomberg administration vet, had few ties to Cuomo. Because he has not officially announced his departure, the Governors office has yet to comment on it.
In his short tenure 56-year-old Ward, who does not have a new gig lined up, froze the PA's operating budget for three years, lowered its number of employees, reduced its budget for major projects, got the World Trade Center site back on track and, most recently, helped push through a controversial large toll hike on PA crossings and fare hike for PATH trains. Considering the PA's tight budget and numerous large-scale projects still on the table, Ward's successor will have an interesting job.
