I was never a devout Chris Christie fan; I disagreed with some of his views on same-sex marriage and education, but I still admired his leadership and compassion towards the state of New Jersey, especially during Hurricane Sandy. I believed that his heart was in the right place and that his “tough guy” attitude was used for the greater good. However, the recent “Bridgegate” scandal has completely changed my view of the governor of the Garden State.
The scandal unfolded last week when emails were leaked that included suspicious information that the George Washington Bridge (GWB) had three lanes shut down in September because Christie’s staff decided to do so. Prior to the leak, the public believed that the three-lane closure on the incredibly congested bridge was due to a traffic study. However, it was revealed that the lanes were closed shortly after the mayor of Fort Lee (the town in which the New Jersey entrance of the GWB resides) chose to not endorse Christie on his re-election during the gubernatorial race. Christie’s Deputy Chief of Staff Bridgette Kelly knew about the lane closures more than a month prior to when they actually took place. During a press conference on Thursday Christie initially blamed Kelly for the plan and claimed he was unaware that his office had anything to do with the closures. Later on during the conference Christie stated he took “full responsibility” of what happened during the early fall. Although Christie denies he had any knowledge of what took place, the public strongly disagrees. Mayor Bill DeBlasio called the whole situation “absolutely immoral” and a poll by nj.com states that 2/3 of the population of New Jersey believes the lane closures were part of “political retaliation.” As more and more documents are released about the scandal it becomes increasingly more difficult to believe a word that comes out of the Governor’s mouth.
If a situation like this wasn’t enough to taint Christie’s hopes for a presidential race in 2016, federal officials are now investigating into whether or not the governor misused Hurricane Sandy aid money. There are reports that some of the $25 million was spent on advertising featuring Christie and his family to promote tourism at the Jersey shore. The New York Times also reports that Christie cut ties with democratic Jersey City mayor Steven Fulop after Fulop refused to endorse Christie. Fulop has stated that Christie’s abrupt cutoff from the city has “caused undue economic harm” to Jersey City.
People’s opinions will differ over Chris Christie’s policies and boisterous personality. However, it is clear that this man’s intentions aren’t focused on the good of New Jerseyians. A governor who has his deepest interests devoted towards the citizens doesn’t close down three lanes on a major bridge, causing severe traffic jams, solely because a mayor won’t endorse him. Now, there is still a chance that Christie may have had no idea that any of the accused acts were taking place around him. However, it is slightly hard to believe that a governor of five years was completely oblivious to these actions taking place by members of his own administration. A leader who wants the best for his or her people also doesn’t promote his own name and family while attempting to advertise NJ tourism. It isn’t Christie’s opposition to marriage equality or his want to reform a number of public schools into charter schools that makes me lose faith in him; these things are just politics and differences are allowed. Christie’s manipulative tendencies in which he acts outright brackish makes me lose faith in our governor. There is a fine line between being a bully and a persistent leader, and Christie crosses that line.
Sources:
http://www.ontheissues.org/governor/Chris_Christie_Education.htm