LISTEN > Gov. Chris Christie called the Harry Hurley radio show on Tuesday morning, NOV 15. Christie discussed why he chose Jeff Chiesa to manage the so-called state takeover of Atlantic City.
Chiesa served briefly in the Senate, replacing the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg. Chiesa was New Jersey’s attorney general from January 2012 to June 2013.
He’s an outstanding lawyer but more importantly than that he is an outstanding person who cares about getting the city of Atlantic City back on track in working with the people of Atlantic City and the leaders of Atlantic City to get the hard things done,” Christie said. “Because if we make the difficult decisions now and do the difficult things, there is no limit to Atlantic City’s future.
“Senator Chiesa brings important insights and management experience from years of service in both the public and private sectors, which makes him an excellent candidate to oversee the responsible management of Atlantic City’s finances,” Charles Richman, commissioner of the Department of Community Affairs, said in a statement.
Christie told Hurley said he hopes the intervention will be less than the five years authorized under the takeover agreement. Chiesa will have the power to sell city assets, hire or fire workers and break union contracts.
“We need to get it done the right way so that Atlantic City can return to the greatness that it’s had over the years, and it will encourage even more businesses to come in and invest in Atlantic City and the people of the region.”
The Department of Community Affairs said Atlantic City’s Mayor, Don Guardian and city council members will maintain day-to-day functions of the local government. That being said, Chiesa will have “wide-ranging authority” to deal with Atlantic City’s problems.
Mayor Guardian said the city may sue if the state takes actions during the takeover that “we see as unconstitutional,” according to a report by the Press of Atlantic City.
Comments are closed.