Passaic County Commissioner John Bartlett has been named general counsel of the Gateway Development Corporation, putting the transportation and infrastructure policy expert in a key role in building new rail tunnels under the Hudson River.
Bartlett is expected to resign his county commissioner seat before the end of the summer, setting up a special election in November to fill the remaining fifteen months of his term. He will also leave his law firm, Murphy Orlando, to take the full-time, $318,270-a-year post.
The $16 billion tunnel project is the largest transit infrastructure development in U.S. history. He pledged to work with officials from New Jersey and New York “to keep Gateway on track.”
“This role allows me to continue my public service commitment to the people of New Jersey in continuity with what I’ve been doing for the last 14 years as a county commissioner: bringing federal resources into our region for the infrastructure projects we need, to make our commutes faster and our communities safer,” Bartlett said.
Bartlett said he was grateful to Gov. Mikie Sherrill for her support.
“We’ve done great work together for our shared constituents over the years,” stated Bartlett. “She’s a fellow attorney who has described herself as ‘tunnel-obsessed,’ so it feels like high praise that she wants me to take on such an important role at such an important time for the Gateway Program.”
Bartlett has been Passaic County’s representative on the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA) for thirteen years and is a former board chairman. In that role, he’s helped manage over $600 million in regional infrastructure improvements.
A graduate of Brown University and Harvard Law School, Bartlett was first elected Passaic County freeholder in 2012 and has been re-elected four times. He sought the Democratic nomination for Congress in New Jersey’s 11th district in a February special primary for the seat Sherrill vacated to become governor.
“The first time I ran for freeholder, it was the year Superstorm Sandy hit. That damage to the Hudson River tunnels is what made Gateway not just essential but urgent,” said Bartlett. “It’s really the through-line of my public service story, while also being the literal through-line that 200,000 New Jerseyans travel every day.”
Bartlett replaces Maria Anderson, who has been acting general counsel.
“John has had a distinguished legal career, and his deep knowledge of the law will serve us well. As a public servant, John has demonstrated creativity, tenacity, and a commitment to expanding public transit in our region, all of which align with GDC’s mission to build a reliable, modern rail system that serves everyone who travels between New Jersey and New York. I am proud to welcome him to the GDC team,” said Tom Prendergast, the GDC CEO.
The Hudson Tunnel Project traces its origins to 2010, when Gov. Chris Christie canceled the planned Access to the Region’s Core (ARC) tunnel, a major rail project intended to expand passenger rail capacity between New Jersey and Manhattan.
Christie cited unfounded concerns that New Jersey taxpayers could be responsible for billions of dollars in cost overruns. The cancellation left the region dependent on two aging Hudson River rail tunnels that opened in 1910 and were further damaged by the 2012 storm.
Bartlett has not set a resignation date, but it is expected before the August 25 deadline to hold a special election. Passaic County Democrats can hold a special election convention to fill the seat on an interim basis. There is no primary: county committee members of both parties must meet to select a nominee.