Phil Murphy Promised More Transparency at NJ Transit. But It's Only Gotten Worse.

As a candidate Gov. Phil Murphy promised more transparency at NJ Transit. But at the agency's board meetings, crucial information about items the board is voting on are no longer showing up in materials distributed to the public.

The last board meeting with fully detailed information on agenda items took place in July, explaining each proposal's history, costs and purpose. But beginning with the August monthly meeting and continuing with the September one, the agency offered only brief paragraphs on each contract, lease, or issuance of debt that came before the board.

"I believe the NJ Transit board is now the closest it can get to zero transparency on the most common oversight function of the board," Joseph Clift, an activist and NJ Transit watchdog, wrote in a statement. "This huge reduction in transparency makes it immeasurably more difficult for media representatives and public transportation advocates to perform the critically important function of shedding daylight on NJ Transit management's expenditure of the public's money."

In a statement, officials defended the change, claiming other agencies release information in a similar format, like the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the NJ Turnpike Authority, and the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority.

"The new format of the board agenda is just one component of our ongoing efforts to improve the Board process for the benefit of the public," NJ Transit spokesperson Nancy Snyder, wrote in a statement. "The goal is to streamline the information to make it easier for the public to consume."

By contrast, the New York Metropolitan Transportation posts voluminous amounts of material about what its board is reviewing online before each meeting.

Gov. Phil Murphy's office has not returned a request for comment.

As candidate, Murphy's website included this promise on NJ Transit:

"Increasing transparency by requiring weekly reports by NJ Transit, including data on number of trains on-time during peak and off-peak hours and length of delays, as well as opening more NJ Transit board meetings to the public."