Two senior members of Gov. Chris Christie’s administration warned a New Jersey mayor earlier this year that her town would be starved of hurricane relief money unless she approved a lucrative redevelopment plan favored by the governor, according to the mayor and emails and personal notes she shared with msnbc.
The mayor, Dawn Zimmer, hasn’t approved the project, but she did request $127 million in hurricane relief for her city of Hoboken – 80% of which was underwater after Sandy hit in October 2012. What she got was $142,000 to defray the cost of a single back-up generator plus an additional $200,000 in recovery grants.
In an exclusive interview, Zimmer broke her silence and named Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno and Richard Constable, Christie’s community affairs commissioner, as the two officials who delivered messages on behalf of a governor she had long supported.
“It’s not fair for the governor to hold Sandy funds hostage for the city of Hoboken” because he wants support for one private developer, she said Saturday on UP w/ Steve Kornacki.
Constable and Christie – through spokespersons – deny Zimmer’s claims.
As the allegations of retribution mount against Christie and his administration, more and more politicians are going to feel safe enough to go public with their stories.
This Hoboken story is particularly outrageous.
80% of Hoboken was flooded by Sandy, the city requested $127 million in hurricane relief, Christie gave them $342,000.
Christie can try and defend that all he wants.
The pictures from Hoboken during Sandy showed just how devastated that city was.
Christie said he would help.
The city asked for $127 million to provide for a better flood defense among other hurricane relief actions.
Christie gave $342,000.
All because, it seems, Hoboken mayor Dawn Zimmer didn't give him and his cronies what they wanted on their re-development deal.
Outrageous - yet par for the course with Christie.
sounds like the Christie I know who I have seen him call people idiots and strip the union workers of NJ of their rights.. bully bully bully
ReplyDeleteand I smell a bit of blackmail here...
Sopranos stuff, with the Lt. Governor doing some of the dirty work. It's egregious and hard to defend against, because Hoboken asked for $127 mil but only got $342,000 in relief funds. Its clear they were screwing Hoboken - hard to see anybody but the most partisan of Christie supporters denying this scandal.
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