Governor Chris Christie has consistently thumbed his nose at New Jersey Republicans
Governor Chris Christie continued the transition of the Executive Branch of New Jersey’s State Government back to the Democratic Party today with his announcement that Charles A. Richman will become Acting Commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs on Friday when current Commissioner, Richard Constable, leaves government service after 13 years. Christie’s announcement said that Richman will be formally nominated to succeed Constable in the Commissioner’s post.
Richman, a career New Jersey bureaucrat with 40 years experience, served in the cabinets of Governor Brendan Byrne and Governor Richard Codey, on a acting basis.
Throughout his second term as Governor, Christie has appointed high profile Democrats to fill cabinet level and other important goverment positions when vacancies have occurred.
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Posted: March 23rd, 2015 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: 2016 Presidential Politics, 2017 NJ Gubernatorial Politics, Chris Christie, Christie Administration, New Jersey | Tags: 2016 Presidential politics, Brendan Byrne, Charles Richman, David Samson, DCA, Department of Consumer Affairs, Department of Transportation, Governor Chris Christie, Governor Tom Kean, James Simpson, Jamie Fox, Jim McGreevey, John Degnan, Jon Corzine, Port Authority of NY/NJ, Richard Codey, Richard Constable, Thomas Kean Sr | 2 Comments »
Magyar admits mistake, promises to fix it but doesn’t
By Art Gallagher, [email protected]
Monmouth University pollster Patrick Murray responded to my post this morning, Patrick Murray is emphatic that his next poll will be negative for Christie, about his quote in Mark Magyar’s anti-Chistie spin piece on NJSpotlight with an email asserting that his analysis was mischaracteriszed.
Patrick Murray
Murray provided an email exchange between himself and Magyar wherein Magyar admits his mistake and promises to fix it.
Murray said:
My assessment of what is likely to happen to public opinion going forward was based on an analysis of the underlying dynamics of my own poll released on April 2 — specifically the public’s underlying initial skepticism of the Mastro report was in my own poll and my analysis of potential movement in that opinion. Mark, by his own admission, mischaracterized my analysis, which was based on actual public opinion data that I have collected and analyzed.
In the NJSpotlight piece, Magyar quoted Murray as follows:
A Quinnipiac Poll released last week showed that 56 percent of New Jerseyans regarded the report as a “whitewash” and only 36 percent believed it to be a “legitimate investigation.” Even more ominously, 65 percent of voters knew of the Hoboken case, and 57 percent of that group believe Zimmer’s allegation that the Christie administration improperly withheld Sandy aid from her city because she refused to support the Rockefeller Group development.
Murray said he expected to see similar results in his next Monmouth Poll. “It will be negative. This is not going to be positive,” Murray stated emphatically, asserting that the controversy over the Mastro report clearly resonated with voters. “The question now with Christie is, ‘Have we hit a floor where a certain percentage of people will defend him no matter what, and everyone else will attack him?’”
Murray corrected Magyar in a email at 9;32 this morning:
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Posted: April 16th, 2014 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Bridgegate, Chris Christie, Department of Community Affairs, Kim Guadagno, Monmouth University Poll, Patrick Murray | Tags: Bridgegate, Chris Christie, Dawn Zimmer, Hoboken, Kim Guadagno, Mark Magyar, Monmouth University Poll, NJSpotlight, Patrick Murray, Richard Constable | Comments Off on Patrick Murray: Mark Magyar mischaracterized his analysis
Christie Should Come Clean About RREM Snafus At Town Hall Meeting
The Christie Administration has terminated a contract with a second company it hired to assist survivors of Superstorm Sandy rebuild their homes, according to a report on WNYC.
Governor Christie announcing a second round of RREM assistance, and that fact that federal assistance to rebuild from Sandy will be $17 billion or more short, in Keansburg last week.
Photo by Paul Scharff
URS, a global San Francisco based engineering and construction management firm had a $20 million contract to supervise the rebuilding of New Jersey homes under the Reconstruction, Rehabilitation, Elevation and Mitigation (RREM) program. The contract has been terminated. Homeowners are being informed by state officials that one of two remaining contractors will now supervise the rebuilding of their homes.
RREM provides $150,000 Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) to New Jersey residents as “last resort” rebuilding assistance. The federal money is supposed to assist residents who have insufficient funds after insurance, other government assistance and private monies are exhausted. URS was one of three companies hired to supervise home rebuilding, according to the WNYC report. Residents who were working with URS have been assigned to one of the two other contractors. The amount of fees committed to the remaining two contractors has not been reported.
While the Christie Administration has received high marks for its administration of assistance to municipal governments and businesses impacted by Sandy, there is growing criticism and frustration over the repeated delays in getting assistance to homeowners.
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Posted: February 14th, 2014 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: CDBG, Chris Christie, Community Development Block Grant, Department of Community Affairs, Superstorm Sandy | Tags: CDBG, Chris Christie, Community Development Block Grant, HUD, Richard Constable, RREM, RREM grants, Town Hall Meeting | 3 Comments »
Governor Chris Christie , Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Richard Constable and Department of Environment Protection Commissioner Robert Martin will be in Keansburg to speak about the $1.4 billion “Second Round” of Superstorm Sandy Relief Funding on Tuesday, February 4 at 3PM.
The event will take place at the New Point Comfort Fire Company, 192 Carr Ave. Doors open at 2:30.
Posted: February 3rd, 2014 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Chris Christie, Christie Administration, Superstorm Sandy | Tags: Bob Martin, Chris Christie, DCA, DEP, Keansburg, New Point Comfort Fire Company, Richard Constable, Sandy Relief Funds, Superstorm Sandy | 2 Comments »
Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno and DCA Commissioner Richard Constable fingered by Zimmer
Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer told MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki this morning that Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno and Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Richard Constable threatened to deprive Hoboken of Sandy Relief funds if she did not secure a development approval for for a project favored by Governor Chris Christie.
The Rockefeller Group project hasn’t been approved and Hoboken has only gotten a small fraction of the Sandy Relief it requested. Port Authority Chairman David Samson’s law firm, Wolf and Samson, represents the Rockefeller Group.
Zimmer requested $127 million in aide for Hoboken, 80% of which was underwater after the Superstorm hit in October of 2012. The city has received $142,000 for a back up generator and $200,000 in recovery grants.
On Karnack’s show, UP with Steve Kornacki, Zimmer said she should have come forth sooner.
The governor’s office has denied the claims. Spokesperson Michael Drewniak issued the following statement to MSNBC:
“Mayor Zimmer has been effusive in her public praise of the Governor’s Office and the assistance we’ve provided in terms of economic development and Sandy aid,” Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak wrote in a statement. “What or who is driving her only now to say such outlandishly false things is anyone’s guess.”
A Hudson County Jury apparently did not believe Zimmer’s testimony last month when they awarded Hoboken’s former public safety director $440,000 in a discrimination suit . The jury held the City, not Zimmer, accountable for the discrimination.
Zimmer showed Korancki documents and her diaries to back up the explosive claims she made this morning. She said she would be willing to testify under oath.
Posted: January 18th, 2014 | Author: Art Gallagher | Filed under: Chris Christie, Dawn Zimmer, Hoboken | Tags: Bridgegate, David Samson, Department of Community Affairs, Governor Chris Christie, Kim Guadagno, MSNBC, Port Authority of NY/NJ, Richard Constable, Steve Kornacki | 13 Comments »
State Fire Officials Warn of Electrocution Risk from “Backfeeding” of Power Lines
Trenton, NJ – New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Commissioner Richard E. Constable, III today issued a warning to residents regarding the potential dangers of portable generators and “backfeeding” during power outages. An increase in the use of generators is expected with the arrival of Hurricane Sandy in the coming days, raising the importance of educating New Jerseyans on their proper and safe use.
Portable generators, widely used when power lines are down, can prove fatal to homeowners, utility workers and even your neighbors when used improperly. A generator connected to a home’s wiring or plugged into a regular household outlet can cause ‘backfeeding’ along power lines and electrocute anyone who comes in contact with them – even if the line seems dead.
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Posted: October 26th, 2012 | Author: admin | Filed under: Chris Christie, Hurricane Sandy, Press Release | Tags: Backfeeding, DCA, Department of Community Affairs, Electrocution Risk, Frankenstorm, Generator Safety, Generator Safety Alert, Hurricane Sandy, Richard Constable | 7 Comments »
