Responding to partisan and media charges by those hoping to expand the Bridgegate controversy that has besieged the Christie Administration into misuse of Sandy funds, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan told MSNBC’s Chris Hayes last night that he is confident that the Obama Administration is carefully monitoring federal funds targeted for homeowners. Donovan said that federal money for Sandy victims is being distributed faster than relief for any previous natural disaster.
Congressmen Frank Pallone and Bill Pascrell wrote to Donovan yesterday asking that HUD investigate New Jersey’s dealings with a terminated contractor that had been assigned the administration of Community Block Development Grants and that HUD appoint a federal official to the usage of those funds in New Jersey.
Pallone’s spokesperson, Ray Zaccaro, did not respond to a request for comment about Donovan’s remarks. We are awaiting a call back from Thomas Piepnykosky, Pascrell’s spokesperson.
Posted: January 30th, 2014 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Bridgegate, Frank Pallone | Tags: Bridgegate, Chris Hayes, Christie Administration, Congressman Bill Pascrell, Congressman Frank Pallone, HUD, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, MSNBC | 1 Comment »
Two polls release this morning indicate that the news avalanche over “Bridgegate;” the George Washington Bridge lane closures and Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer’s allegations that Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno and other Christie Administration officials said that Sandy relief was contingent upon a development approval have taken a heavy toll on the public’s opinion of Governor Chris Christie.
A Wall Street Journal/NBCNews national poll points to a sharp reversal of American’s opinion of New Jersey’s Governor. 29% view Christie unfavorably while 22% view him favorably. In an October 2013 poll, 33% view the governor favorably, while only 17% viewed him unfavorably.
In New Jersey, Christie still has positive numbers, but the stratospheric approval numbers he has enjoyed since Superstorm Sandy crushed the Garden State have evaporated in the heat of Bridgegate.
The Farleigh Dickson University Public Mind Poll released this morning says that Christie’s job approval rating is below 50% for the first time since May of 2011. 48% of New Jersey registered voters approve of the job he is doing, while 39% do not. 53% of FDU’s respondents think Christie probably knew about the GWB lane closures before they happened.
Any ‘normal politician’ would be very happy with the kind of numbers that FDU put out Christie today. Given the beating he’s been taking in the media, that the voters who know Christie best still approve of him by +9 points, even though they think he probably lied when he said he knew nothing of the GWB lane closures before they happened, the FDU numbers are very positive.
New Jerseyans and the rest of the country are paying close attention to the Christie controversies. 85% of NJ voters told FDU they were watching closely. 79% of Americans are aware of the story, according to the WSJ/NBC poll.
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Posted: January 28th, 2014 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Bridgegate, Chris Christie | Tags: Bridgegate, Chris Christie, Polls | 4 Comments »
By Matt Rooney, SaveJersey.com
Having trouble keeping track of the Bridgegate sideshow going on in Hoboken, Save Jerseyans?
Fear not; we’ve put together a streamlined timeline for you to consult/post/share and, once you’ve reviewed it from beginning to end, I don’t think you’ll conclude that the chronology is flattering for Hoboken’s Mayor:
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Winter 2010 to Fall 2012
Mayor Dawn Zimmer is only one year into her new job when she decides to endorse the Governor’s property tax cap. She’s backed other major initiatives since then.
October 2012
Hurricane Sandy strikes New Jersey and floods much of Hoboken.
November 2012
Over the next year and change, Zimmer repeatedly — both online and in the real world, too — praises Chris Christie for his Sandy aftermath assistance without qualification:
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Posted: January 26th, 2014 | Author: admin | Filed under: Bridgegate, Christie Administration, Dawn Zimmer, Hoboken | Tags: Bridgegate, Chris Christie, Dawn Zimmer, Hoboken, Kim Guadagno, Matt Rooney, SaveJersey | 5 Comments »
HudsonCountyTV.com is reporting that attorney Louis Zayas of North Bergen claims that Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer testified under oath during a deposition that she does not keep a diary, calendar or memo pad to help her remember events that occur in the city she governs.
Zimmer claimed on MSNBC’s Up with Steve Kornacki last Saturday that Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno told her that Sandy Relief money was contingent on the approval of a proposed Rockefeller Group development. Zimmer offered Kornacki her diary to support her claims against Guadagno and says she has since turned the diary over to the U.S. Attorney.
Zayas, the attorney who won a $440,000 award discrimination lawsuit against Hoboken last month said at the time that the jury in that case did not believe Zimmer’s testimony. Zayas is currently suing Zimmer and her husband, Stan Grossbard, on behalf of Carmelo Garcia, the head of the Hoboken Housing Authority and a New Jersey State Assemblyman representing Hoboken, for alleged racial discrimination and “ethnic cleansing.”
Zayas keeps a framed photograph of himself and Governor Chris Christie on prominent display in his law office, as can be seen in this HudsonCountyTV video.
Posted: January 25th, 2014 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Bridgegate, Chris Christie, Dawn Zimmer, Hoboken | Tags: Bridgegate, Chris Christie, Dawn Zimmer, Hoboken, HudsonCountyTV, Louis Zayas, Up with Steve Kornacki | 2 Comments »
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Posted: January 25th, 2014 | Author: admin | Filed under: Bridgegate | Tags: Bridgegate, Chris Christie, David Wildstein, Port Authority of NY/NJ | Comments Off on Christie bridge scandal: Port Authority won’t pay Wildstein’s bills
