LISTEN > NJ Governor Chris Christie used his monthly Radio show to wind up and land some heavy blows on Atlantic City officials and specifically, Mayor Don Guardian. This comes on the heels of a Press of Atlantic City editorial calling out Guardian for connecting crime & prostitution to casinos. Read here.
The monthly “Ask the Governor” show on NJ 101.5 Radio, with on-demand listening on YouTube, has been an effective communications strategy for Christie. Radio & YouTube have been deftly used by The Guv for communicating his views on the financial chaos in Atlantic City.
Atlantic City is going to run out of money because they spend like drunken sailors. That’s what Governor Christie thinks.
“They spend $6,700 per citizen, per year to run the government while Newark spends $2,800 a year.” “Lifeguards get pensions in Atlantic City” “The guys who clean the park get pensions, the folks who collect garbage get pensions. None of that is privatized.”
Christie: the only option for Atlantic City is a state takeover of the city’s finances. Guv wants NJ via the Local Finance Board, to downsize staff, sell or lease city property like Bader Field or the MUA, re-negotiate union contracts, etc. Take-over could last for 5 years.
“There’s one option. It’s a bipartisan, negotiated option between myself and the senate Democrats,” Christie said. “The fact is that Atlantic City cannot do the things by itself that we need them to do. They’ve shown themselves completely unable to do it.”
“I’m not going to negotiate with two sets of Democrats,” Christie said. “If they can’t get their act together, then they need to go explain why to Atlantic City.”