Tracy J. Chappelle 
Kudos to Governor Kathy Hochul for rejecting New Jersey’s attempt to kill the New York Harbor Waterfront Commission.
Hochul’s lawyer, Elizabeth Fine, wrote to Jersey Governor Phil Murphy last week, warning that the two-state pact that created the commission cannot be dissolved by a straying state, such as the legislature. of Jersey attempted to do so with a 2018 law.
Good: For more than six decades, the bi-state commission has used its authority over the ports of Newark, Elizabeth, Bayonne, Staten Island and Brooklyn to police the docks, preventing organized crime and guarding against discriminatory hiring.
Hochul’s tough stance is a blow to the International Longshoremen’s Association, which is eager to kill the commission. The union says the watchdog makes it harder for shippers to hire new workers and minimizes the threat of organized crime. But the FBI and the Federal Department of Labor say the commission has played a vital role in fighting corruption.
“As noted by the federal law enforcement community, the commission provides invaluable resources and expertise at the intersection of organized crime and port operations,” Fine observed.
Murphy claims state police can patrol ports. Pathetic.
Credit Hochul for insisting on keeping the crowds out of ports.
