ALBANY – Gov. Cuomo today tapped Patrick Foye, his top economic advisor, to run the Port Authority beginning next month.
Foye, Cuomo’s deputy secretary of economic development and a former Deputy Nassau County Executive under Republican Edward Mangano, will replace Christopher Ward, who has come under fire from the governor repeatedly this year.
Cuomo also announced he will nominate El Diario publisher and CEO Rossana Rosado as well as former Clinton administration Assistant Secretary of State James Rubin to the Port Authority board.
And he recommended consolidation of the Moynihan Station Development and Lower Manhattan Development corporations’ operations into the authority.
Cuomo said the move, which would have to be approved by the authority’s board, would have “no fiscal impact to the Port Authority.”
The appointment of Foye also must be approved by the board of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
Ward will become an advisor to the authority through the end of the year starting next month, Cuomo said.
Cuomo’s announcement comes on the heels of a Post report that he ordered an audit that will show Ward authorized hundreds of millions of dollars of “unnecessary spending” to accelerate the rebuilding of Ground Zero.
“The Port Authority must meet its potential as a major economic engine that plans for the region and attracts business on an international scale,” Cuomo said today. “We must also improve its operations and maximize the value out of every dollar spent so that it is financially responsible and respects the tax and toll payers.”
Cuomo, tapping David Emil to become the authority’s deputy executive director, said consolidations of the two corporations into the authority makes sense.
“The Port Authority is best situated to oversee the development at Moynihan Station and the orderly wind down of the LMDC, and these changes will consolidate responsibility within the authority,” he said.
Cuomo also named James Rubin, President of the Atlantic Partnership and former opinion section editor for Bloomberg News, as senior advisor for international competiveness at the Empire State Development Corp.
“With decades of work in government, finance and the media, James Rubin is a true national leader in international economic affairs,” Cuomo said. “He will bring a knowledgeable and experienced voice to designing a program that enhances New York’s role as the gateway for global commerce, and a center for the international business community.”
Cuomo said Rossado “has served the people of New York, and particularly our Latino communities, with a dedication and vision. Her 13 years of experience as Publisher and Chief Executive Officer of El Diaro La Prensa have highlighted her ability to communicate effectively with all New Yorkers. These skills will serve the Port Authority well as it continues to improve the lives of New Yorkers and our neighbors.”