Mother Jones
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His city might not have been flooded with traffic as an act of political retribution, but Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop still considers himself Gov. Chris Christie’s number one enemy.
Like Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, Fulop wouldn’t endorse Christie in last year’s gubernatorial race. (Though Fulop is a Democrat, Christie spoke at his inauguration in July.) Fulop alleged in a statement Thursday that he received swift punishment from the governor’s office after making it known in September that he would endorse the Democratic slate. He claimed that after the endorsement Christie officials canceled meetings and rejected his requests to discuss city issues.
“Cancelations include an entire day of meetings with state commissioners scheduled to be in Jersey City that was abruptly canceled, with each of the commissioners individually canceling within an hour of the time I communicated my intention to not endorse,” Fulop said.
The Jersey City mayor is referenced in the now-infamous bridge closure emails released on Wednesday. After being told that Sokolich was asking questions about the George Washington Bridge lane closures, recently resigned Port Authority official David Wildstein replied, “Radio silence. His name comes right after mayor Fulop.” Fulop told the Jersey Journal that he believes he’s “Enemy Number 1” after seeing that exchange.
Two months after that email was sent and less than a week after Christie won re-election, Fulop announced plans to sue the Port Authority for $400 million. He claims the agency, which is run by both New Jersey and New York, has not been paying enough taxes on the 32 properties it owns in Jersey City.
When Christie was asked about the controversy during his long press conference Thursday, he said he didn’t know if Fulop’s meetings were canceled for purposes of payback and he promised to look into the matter. “What Mayor Fulop knows is, when we agree with him from a policy perspective we’ll work with him,” Christie said. “When we disagree with him, we’ll express those disagreements. And sometimes that’ll mean friction.”
He later added: “Have I at times been angry with Mayor Fulop and disagreed with him? You bet I have.”
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