“The spending at this authority has been obscene and those who have been in position to stop it have failed taxpayers and broken the public trust. They should leave public office immediately,” said Amodeo, who in December wrote to the then-Transportation Commissioner after the SJTA refused to immediately provide a copy of a resolution on the commission’s agenda.

 “Now we know why this authority has cloaked its operations and has treated taxpayers with disdain,” Amodeo added.

The Office of Inspector General report, found waste and mismanagement throughout the agency including paying three law firms $30,000 annual retainers for attending monthly meetings requiring minimal preparation, improperly classifying an outside attorney as a public employee to qualify for pension credits and allowing employees to use authority-issued vehicles for personal use.

 “This is yet another example of why we need to completely overhaul and eliminate the independent authorities that steal from taxpayers and waste public funds that could be used for legitimate purposes,” Polistina said. “Governor Christie has pledged an end to waste like this and the board members should make his job easier by resigning their posts so the governor can replace them with people willing to stand up for taxpayers.”

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