Gov. James E. McGreevey yesterday tapped George Zoffinger, a former commerce commissioner for Gov. Jim Florio, to lead the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority.
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Zoffinger replaces authority president and CEO James A. DiEleuterio Jr., who resigned shortly before McGreevey's announcement, saying he would pursue opportunities in the private sector. Former Gov. Christie Todd Whitman, a Republican, appointed DiEleuterio to the authority in March 1999.
In announcing the appointment, McGreevey, a Democrat, said Zoffinger would root out waste and "political patronage" at the authority, citing the issuance of executive bonuses amounting to over $280,000 last year.
"This is outrageous, particularly since this is an agency that cannot pay all of its bills and is subsidized by taxpayers," McGreevey said.
In addition to the bonuses, McGreevey said the authority's racing division was brimming with patronage jobs as executive positions within the division increased from nine to 13 and salaries have increased as much as 184% since 1994.
The authority oversees the operations of the Meadowlands Sports Complex, which includes Giants Stadium, Continental Airlines Arena, and the Meadowlands Racetrack.
Zoffinger will help chart the course of the Meadowlands, the home of the New Jersey Devils National Hockey League team and the National Basketball Association's New Jersey Nets. The teams have been seeking to abandon the Continental Airlines Arena for a new $355 million facility proposed for Newark, but a plan by former Republican acting-Gov. Donald DiFrancesco to sell $190 million in debt for a new arena backed by tax-increment financing failed to pass the Legislature.
McGreevey has said he will create a new arena proposal this spring as part of an economic stimulus package. The plan would also address the future of the Meadowlands.
DiEleuterio had served as state treasurer from 1997 through 1999 and spent 23 years at the New Jersey Division of Taxation.
"My time at the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority has been truly special as our core racing, entertainment, and sports businesses make the transition into the 21st century," DiEleuterio said in a statement.
-- Martin Z. Braun
