Gov. Chris Christie has a remarkable winning streak going, one unmatched by any other New Jersey governor. He’s vetoed more than 350 bills during his five-plus years in Trenton, according to a Wall Street Journal count. And, in spite of the fact that the Legislature is controlled by the Democrats, a party other than his own,… Read the rest of this entry »
TRENTON — In a story that has been told only by the slow-drip disclosure of subpoenas, the ongoing investigation into the George Washington Bridge scandal that has engulfed the Christie administration and some of his closest advisers continues to grow. In the latest revelations, United Airlines confirmed today that it has been asked to turn over… Read the rest of this entry »By Art Gallagher
In his OpEd published this morning, former Kean and Whitman Administration spokesman Carl Golden makes the case why it is safe for New Jersey’s Republican legislators to defy Governor Chris Christie and join the Democratic majority in overriding Christie’s of the Port Authority reform legislation.
The two identical bills that Governors Christie and Cuomo vetoed on the Saturday between Christmas and New Years Day had passed overwhelmingly with bi-partisan support in both houses of the New Jersey and New York legislatures. The bills would have required increased transparency and accountability on the part of Port Authority of NY/NJ.
In vetoing the bills, Christie and Cuomo endorsed reforms proposed by a panel they had appointed and urged both legislatures to adopt them instead. But as Golden noted in his OpEd, the vetoes have been widely viewed as maintaining the status quo of disfunctionality, wasteful spending and gubernatorial abuse at Port Authority.
In his five years in office, none of Christie’s vetoes have been overridden, even if the original bills passed the legislature with bi-partisan support and by veto proof majorities. Republican legislators have frequently “flip-flopped” and changed their votes to uphold the Governor’s will. As Golden explains,
Posted: January 20th, 2015 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Mike Doherty, Monmouth County, NJ GOP, Opinion, Port Authority | Tags: Art Gallagher, Carl Golden, Chris Christie, Port Authority of NY/NJ, Senator Michael Doherty, Senator Mike Doherty, Veto override | 3 Comments »
MMM photo by Art Gallagher
Federal prosecutors have widened their investigation into the relationship between Governor Chris Christie’s office and his 2013 reelection campaign, according to a report at The Wall Street Journal.
WSJ reports that U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman’s office has subpoenaed documents related to government meetings that Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop claims were canceled after he declined to endorse Christie’s reelection.
Posted: January 8th, 2015 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Bridgegate, Chris Christie, Paul Fishman, Port Authority, U.S. Attorney | Tags: Bridgegate, Chris Christie, Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, Mark Sokolich, Port Authority, Port Authority of NY/NJ, Steve Fulop, U.S., U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman, Wall Street Journal, WSJ | 1 Comment »
Less than two years before Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones paid for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s tickets and travel to NFL games, government documents show Christie personally pushed the Port Authority to approve a lucrative contract for a firm part-owned by Jones. Christie nonetheless accepted the gifts from Jones, despite New Jersey ethics rules barring… Read the rest of this entry »
In a press statement, New Jersey Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto of Secaucus blasts New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo for vetoing legislation aimed at reforming the Port Authority. “These vetoes are terribly disappointing news for the people of New Jersey and New York, especially the commuters who get stung by toll… Read the rest of this entry »TRENTON — The former chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey has dropped his lawsuit against New Jersey’s state ethics commission. Court documents show David Samson filed paperwork dropping the suit in U.S. District Court on Wednesday. His decision was first reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer. Phone calls to Samson’s lawyers were… Read the rest of this entry »
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo released and endorsed a report issued by the Bi-State Panel on the Future of the Port Authority which calls for reforms to the agency that the governors called “comprehensive and wholesale changes” in a joint statement this evening.
In accepting the report by the panel comprised of three current commissioners of the Port Authority and the chief counsels of each governor, Christie and Cuomo said they are reorganizing the overall operations, leadership and management of the multi-billion dollar organization. They said that the reorganization will “return the Port Authority fully to its original mission – developing and maintaining the world’s largest transportation system and infrastructure.”
Additionally, the governors each vetoed identical legislation approved by the New York and New Jersey Legislatures which calls for increased transparency of the Port Authority. The governors said they “accept and endorse the transparency legislation” “but with some sensible changes to eliminate confusion that would be caused by the bill as currently drafted.” The changes are included in Christie’s Conditional Veto message to the New Jersey Legislature. New York’s governor does not have conditional veto powers.
Posted: December 27th, 2014 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Andrew Cuomo, Chris Christie, New Jersey, New York, News, Port Authority | Tags: Andrew Cuomo, Chris Christie, Governor Andrew Cuomo, Governor Chris Christie, Port Authority, Port Authority of NY/NJ, Reforms | 3 Comments »NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — Two lawsuits filed by people stuck in traffic jams caused by last year’s lane closings at the George Washington Bridge will move forward without Gov. Chris Christie as a defendant. A federal judge this week consolidated the two cases into one. Among the claims in the suits filed earlier this year are… Read the rest of this entry »TRENTON — David Samson, the former chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, filed a federal lawsuit Monday seeking to head off a state ethics probe of his work at the bi-state agency. Samson and his law firm sued the New Jersey State Ethics Commission in U.S. District Court, claiming it does… Read the rest of this entry »© Copyright 2024 | MoreMonmouthMusings | All Rights Reserved