Bill would dissolve N.Y.-N.J. Waterfront Commission

Bill would dissolve N.Y.-N.J. Waterfront Commission    A New Jersey State Senator said he plans to introduce a bill Thursday to dissolve the Waterfront Commission of New York and New Jersey and have its powers transferred to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
   The commission was created in 1953 because of corruption on region’s docks. This corruption was documented in the early 1950s during public hearings held by the New York State Crime Commission, which were part of the basis for the film “On the Waterfront.”
   In 2009, the Waterfront Commission was the subject of a scathing report by New York State’s Inspector General.
   Last week, Sen. Raymond Lesniak, D-Union, in a press release said he planned to “introduce legislation to abolish the commission entirely, and turn its operations over to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.”
   Lesniak complained Barry Evenchick, New Jersey’s commissioner at the agency (one is appointed by each state), “can make no legitimate claim to the post” because he “was never confirmed by the Senate, meaning his term expired at the end of the last legislative session on January 11.”
   A letter, dated Sept. 29, from the Waterfront Commission to Lesniak argues, “the need for a strong and active Waterfront Commission has never been more compelling” and that “as evidenced by recent arrests and convictions, mob control of the harbor is still a fact of life.”