Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney was elected Chairman of the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority at the NJTPA’s Jan. 11 Board of Trustees meeting. He succeeds Susan M. Zellman, a Sussex County freeholder (see article below), who served the 2008-2009 term.
“Transportation is critical to the quality of life in Bergen County and the rest of our region,” Chairman McNerney said. “During these uncertain economic times, transportation investment can create jobs and spur sustainable development. This agency steers critical federal dollars to key transportation projects in North Jersey and gives local officials a voice in how those dollars are spent. I look forward to leading the NJTPA over the next two years.”
The NJTPA Board also selected its Executive Committee at the meeting. In addition to Chairman McNerney, Morris County Freeholder Director Gene F. Feyl was chosen as First Vice-Chairman.
“Wise investment in transportation is integral to maintaining our quality of life,” said Feyl. “In this position, I will continue to provide guidance for federal transportation investment in Morris County and the greater region.”
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| NJTPA Chairman and Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney, right, with Morris County Freeholder Director Gene F. Feyl, the NJTPA’s First Vice-Chairman. |
The other elected members of the Executive Committee are: Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise, Second Vice-Chairman; and Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, Secretary. In accordance with NJTPA by-laws, Chairman McNerney appointed Hunterdon County Freeholder Matthew Holt to the position of Third Vice-Chairman.
Chairman McNerney joined the NJTPA Board in 2003 following election to his first term as County Executive. He was elected to the Board’s Executive Committee in 2006, and served as NJTPA First Vice-Chairman and Chairman of the Project Prioritization Committee in 2008 and 2009.
Prior to becoming County Executive, Chairman McNerney was elected to the Bergen County Board of Chosen Freeholders in 1998 and 2001. He is a lifelong Bergen County resident. He graduated from Bergen Catholic High School, attended Bergen Community College, the University of Delaware, and received a Masters Degree in Public Administration from Columbia University. Prior to his election as County Executive, McNerney was a vice president for a municipal finance firm.
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| Sussex County Freeholder Susan M. Zellman receives a resolution from NJTPA Chairman Dennis McNerney, highlighting the accomplishments of her two-year chairmanship. |
Susan M. Zellman, a Sussex County Freeholder, completed her two-year term as NJTPA Chairman by pointing to many accomplishments that have improved transportation for residents of Sussex County and the region.
At the NJTPA’s biennial reorganization meeting on January 11, Freeholder Zellman said, “I am proud of the work of the NJTPA and the bi-partisan role it plays in addressing transportation needs.”
Freeholder Zellman thanked other members of the Board for their efforts and cooperation over the past two years to improve transportation in the region.
A key highlight under Freeholder Zellman’s leadership was use of stimulus funding provided by the federal government to undertake key projects and spur the economy. Of the $750 million in stimulus funding spent in the NJTPA region, $124 million was specifically targeted to projects chosen by counties and cities represented on the NJTPA Board. “I am happy to report that in the NJTPA region, our efforts to get federal funds to the county and local level have clearly been a success,” she said.
NJTPA Executive Director Mary K. Murphy praised Freeholder Zellman’s leadership, saying that she invested much time and effort as Chairman, “taking a hands-on role in the detailed and often technical work” performed by the NJTPA.
“Chairman Zellman has been passionate as an advocate for the role transportation plays in supporting our economy and quality of life. She has made a real contribution to our region,” Murphy added.
Another key achievement under Freeholder Zellman’s leadership was the approval of a new long-range transportation plan guiding investment over the next 25 years. Freeholder Zellman said, “Developing a new plan gave the NJTPA an opportunity to conduct extensive public outreach in every county—and the opportunity to focus on several related issues that go beyond transportation, such as climate change and land use.”
Former NJDOT Commissioner Stephen Dilts praised Freeholder Zellman’s commitment to transportation and the bi-partisan nature of her leadership on the NJTPA Board. “Chairman Zellman was an effective advocate for the people in northern New Jersey and I appreciated her strong leadership throughout her tenure,” said Dilts.
Freeholder Zellman continues to represent Sussex County on the NJTPA Board. She is the Executive Director of the non-profit Housing Partnership and a Board member of New Jersey Future.
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January 11, 2010 Board meeting |
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From left, Hunterdon County Freeholder Matthew Holt, Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo, NJTPA Chairman Dennis McNerney, NJTPA Executive Director Mary K. Murphy, Sussex County Freeholder and former NJTPA Chairman Susan M. Zellman, Morris County Freeholder Director Gene F. Feyl, and Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise. |
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Bergen County Executive Dennis McNerney accepts the nomination as NJTPA Chairman, as Monmouth County Freeholder John D’Amico, Jr. applauds. |
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Freeholder Zellman, the NJTPA’s immediate past-chairman, presents a resolution to outgoing NJDOT Commissioner Stephen Dilts. |
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Freeholder Zellman with Hunterdon County Freeholder Matthew Holt. |
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From left: Freeholder D’Amico, Warren County Freeholder Angelo Acceturro, Middlesex County Freeholder H. James Polos, and NJ Transit Chief Planner Richard Roberts. |
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Somerset County Freeholder Peter S. Palmer, left, and Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo. |
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From left, Freeholder Holt, Executive Director Murphy, County Executive DeGise. |
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The three standing committees of the NJTPA Board of Trustees reorganized at the Board’s Jan. 11 meeting (see article, left).
Morris County Freeholder Director Gene F. Feyl, the NJTPA’s First Vice-Chairman, is now chairman of the Project Prioritization Committee (PPC), which helps guide the annual development and management of the Transportation Improvement Program, or TIP. Hudson County Executive Thomas DeGise is the PPC’s vice-chairman.
Hunterdon County Freeholder Matthew Holt is the new chairman of the Planning and Economic Development Committee (PEDC), which oversees regional and corridor-based planning. Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo is the PEDC’s vice-chairman.
Somerset County Freeholder Peter S. Palmer remains chairman of the Freight Initiatives Committee (FIC), which looks at issues vital to the goods movement industry. The FIC’s vice-chairman is Union County Freeholder Daniel P. Sullivan.
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The NJTPA encouraged NJ Transit to approve the first tunneling contracts for the Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) project, which involves building another passenger rail tunnel to midtown Manhattan.
Peter S. Palmer, NJTPA Trustee and Somerset County Freeholder, addressed the NJ Transit Board at its December meeting, just before it voted to approve the contract. Palmer emphasized that the project would generate tens of thousands of jobs.
“Now is the time to complete this important investment in our region’s future,” he said.
NJTPA Executive Director Mary K. Murphy also spoke in favor of the action, saying it would allow for future rail service expansions.
“Nearly everyone who uses transit in our region today—and many, many more who have not yet even begun to travel by transit—will benefit from the construction of the ARC project,” Murphy said.
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The Regional Transportation Plan, approved last fall by the NJTPA Board of Trustees, includes initiatives and projects that will affect every corner of the 13-county northern and central New Jersey region during the next 25 years. NJTPA Central Staff is available to make presentations about Plan 2035 to local governments, community groups, and other interested organizations.
For more information on arranging a presentation, contact David Behrend at 973-639-8423 or dbehrend@njtpa.org.
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Planning and engineering staff from the City of Newark accepts a resolution honoring longtime colleague Fernando Rubio, who passed away suddenly last November. From left, Acting Manager, Division of Traffic & Signals Jack Nata; Middlesex County Planning Director George Ververides, who presented the resolution; Project Engineer Michel Gelin; Department of Public Works Director Mehdi Mohammadish; and NJTPA Executive Director Mary K. Murphy.
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New Jersey’s Chapter of the American Planning Association honored Jersey City with The Outstanding Plan Award for the Jersey City Master Plan’s “Circulation Element.” The award was presented in November.
The Circulation Element, for which the NJTPA provided Subregional Study funds, is a multimodal transportation plan that addresses the mobility needs of people and goods moving to, from, and within Jersey City. It links transportation and land use planning and guides policy and investments in the City’s transportation network through 2050.
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The NJTPA on Jan. 14 hosted the Port Authority's annual Economic Briefing. The session included a presentation by Dr. Nariman Behravesh from IHS Global Insight, suggesting that the U.S. economy and global trade will be slow to recover from recession, with the region's port volumes not returning to pre-recession levels until 2014. Pictured during the briefing is NJTPA Freight Initiatives Committee Chairman Peter S. Palmer, right, with the Port Authority's Director of Commerce Development Richard M. Larrabee.
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New Jersey’s 34th annual transportation conference, known as TransAction, is scheduled for April 28-30 at the Tropicana Resort Hotel, Casino, and Conference Center in Atlantic City. Last year, the conference drew nearly one-thousand transportaton planning professionals, consultants, engineers, and elected officials.
This year’s conference, co-sponsored by the NJTPA, features about 65 workshop and panel sessions running concurrently throughout all three days. Topics include transportation funding and infrastructure investments, transportation and land use, freight movement initiatives, paratransit and community transportation, and performance measures, among many others.
For more details and registration information, visit the conference website at njtransactionconf.com.
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