Bad blood over Sunoco’s former Gloucester County operation spilled into Trenton today when Senate President Steve Sweeney abruptly ended a meeting with CEO Brian MacDonald after the two quarreled over Sweeney’s opposition to a tax appeal filed by the oil giant.
Sunoco had filed the appeal over its now shuttered West Deptford plant, eventually settling with the township for $15 million. Sweeney has been a staunch opponent of the deal and earlier this year introduced legislation that would have required Sunoco to pour the settlement money into cleaning up its property, which it bought in 2004 and closed five years later.
But last month, the deal cut with West Deptford – Sweeney’s hometown – fell apart amid a challenge under the Open Public Meetings act. Sweeney and the Sunoco chief huddled today to find common ground, but according to sources the only ground Sweeney found for MacDonald was outside his office.