The retirement of General Counsel Darrel Buchbinder next month comes amid an SEC probe into the use of Port Authority funds on the Pulaski Skyway and related projects
NEW YORK -- Amid lingering fallout from the George Washington Bridge lane closures, the Port Authority's top lawyer announced that he would step down at the end of next month.
Port Authority General Counsel Darrel Buchbinder, 68, sent a letter to agency colleagues Monday informing them of his "bitter-sweet" decision to retire after 36 years with the agency.
Darrell Buchbinder"After a lengthy summer vacation (the first in a very long time), during which I discovered that it might be fun not to work for a bit, my rapidly approaching sixty-ninth birthday, and the impending arrival of our first grandchild, I realized that it was time to change my focus," Buchbinder wrote.
Buchbinder's decision to step down form his $277,000 -a-year job comes amid multiple investigations involving the bi-state agency and current and former officials following the 2013 George Washington Bridge lane closures.
They include civil and criminal probes by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office into the use of $1.8 billion in Port Authority funds on the Pulaski Skyway and other New Jersey infrastructure projects that Buchbinder's office signed off on.
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Buchbinder, who has not been accused or any wrongdoing, is among several Port Authority lawyers for whom the agency has hired outside lawyers to represent them in the post-Bridgegate investigations.
Port Authority Chairman John Degnan said Buchbinder has enjoyed "a brilliant career" at the Port Authority, an agency particularly known for the skill and effectiveness its law department.
Degnan said Buchbinder's decision to retire next month was entirely his own.
"No one forced him to make it," said Degnan, a former New Jersey attorney general appointed by Gov. Chris Christie last year in the wake of the lane closure scandal. "He will be very difficult to replace."
Buchbinder's annoncement follows last month's retirement of another Port Authority department head, Chief Engineer Peter Zipf, after 30 years with the agency. Zipf, who was honored by agency board last week, was a high-level Port Authority official apparently untouched by the lane closures before his departure.
Buchbinder capped his retirement letter with a reference to the investigations and financial demands on the agency.
"As you are all aware, the Port Authority is facing many challenges as it approaches its ninety-fifth year, and in many ways it is at a crossroads unlike any that have come before," he wrote. "Always remember, that it is neither the Port Authority's physical facilities nor its financial structure that has ensured its continued success, rather it is your strength and dedication to public service that is the driving force behind the Port Authority - never lose sight of that.""
Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
