Silver, Ward debate WTC monitor

Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver wants an independent monitor to oversee
construction and evaluate the proposed timeline for the World Trade
Center site, he said last week. But Chris Ward, executive director of
the Port Authority, said independent oversight is unnecessary because
the Port Authority is already monitoring the construction process. At
the same meeting, Ward promised that the September 11th memorial would
be open by the 10-year anniversary and would remain open to the public after that. Silver said speedy reconstruction of the area is particularly important because downtown businesses are still trying to recover from 9/11 while facing new problems amid the current recession.