Gov. Phil Murphy more than once declined to address a State Commission of Investigation report that said his administration was kept in the loop on patronage hires at the Schools Development Authority during Wednesday’s COVID-19 briefing.
“I’ve got no comment on the SDA. The report, I haven’t read it. I saw, one of my colleagues just raised it as a headline,” Murphy said. “I will say this. Manny Da Silva is running the SDA, and he’s doing an outstanding job doing exactly what we need there, and I’m proud to call him a teammate.”
The report, released earlier Wednesday found that Lizette Delgado-Polanco, the authority’s former CEO and a former vice chair of the Democratic State Committee, was in constant contact with the governors staff as she ousted dozens of longtime SDA employees and replaced them with friends and family members who often lacked qualifications for the job.
The governor declined to say why his administration invoked executive authority when asked to shed light on how Delgado-Polanco, a close political ally of Murphy’s before the hiring scandal, was selected to head the SDA.
He also declined to say why Delgado-Polanco was chosen for the position.
The report adds further uncertainty to the SDA’s already shaky future. Senate President Steve Sweeney has vocally backed abolishing the authority, which was viewed as something of a patronage pit even before Delgado-Polanco took over.
Murphy has so far opposed those calls, and there was little to suggest an about-face Wednesday.
“I’ve nothing else to add — yes, no, maybe or otherwise — on SDA other than Manny Da Silva’s doing a fantastic job, and I’m really satisfied with him and his team,” Murphy said when asked about the commission’s report a second time.