Christie: ‘Run for Governor, and You Can Have a Residence’ at the Beach
Chris Christie is under fire for closing all state beaches to everyone except himself and his family, and his second in charge is steaming mad. A budget impasse caused the New Jersey governor to make the decision to close the beaches, but a local newspaper flew a plane over the governor’s official taxpayer-funded house at Island Beach State Park, only to find Christie, his wife, and several family members and friends taking in the rays with no one around for miles.
Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno, a fellow Republican, blasted her boss on social media:
“If I were governor, I sure wouldn’t be sitting on the beach if taxpayers didn’t have access to state beaches. It’s beyond words,” Guadagno, who is running to replace Christie when his term expires, posted to Facebook.
“We need to end the shutdown now. It’s hurting small businesses and ordinary New Jerseyans. Instead of political games, Governor Christie, Speaker Prieto and Senate President Sweeney should pass a budget that delivers property tax relief and puts taxpayers first.”
Christie has the lowest approval rating ever measured of any state governor. It now sits at 15 percent, making it that much harder for any Republican, especially one so closely tied to him, to get elected governor in the Garden State.
On social media, many mocked and attacked Christie for taking advantage of a beach be barred taxpayers from using. In response, Christie posted this tweet:
In typical Christie style, he also defended his use of the beach by telling a reporter, “That’s just the way it goes. Run for governor, and you can have a residence.â€
On Twitter, some accused Christie of being the one to shut down the George Washington Bridge in Bridgegate, saying he has “a habit of taking away resources for his own gain.”
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Image by NJ National Guard via Flickr and a CC license