No doubt you've heard the out-takes of Chris Christie's latest grand-standing at a public NJ event. Besides his total lack of respect, for a felllow-citizen representing the dire interests of the Hurricane Victims community, Christie demonstrated a total lack of openness, regarding the "Progress" (or lack thereof) that his Administration has made towards actual Sandy Relief.
From his overly gruff reaction to the topic, the keen observer might conclude: "He's a bit touchy on the subject." Shouldn't he be touting this "CEO managerial achievement" -- if it actually existing -- instead of "Shutting Up" all dialog about it?
Christie to Sandy heckler: 'Sit down and shut up!' (VIDEO)
by Claude Brodesser-Akner, NJ Advance Media for NJ.com -- October 29, 2014
[...]
As Christie began to speak, Keady, who runs an advocacy organization called Finish the Job, held a sign and shouted: “Do your job!"
"Yeah, you do yours, too, buddy,” Chrisite shot back, and continued speaking.
But the heckler wasn't standing down, and continued his tirade.
"Now, you all know me," said Christie. “So if we're going to get into a debate here today, it's going to get very interesting and very fun."
[...]
“I'll be more than happy to have a debate with you anytime you like, guy, because somebody like you doesn’t know a damn thing about what you're talking about except to stand up and show off when the cameras are here. I've been here when the cameras aren't here, buddy, and done the work. [...]
Keady, who said he is a lifelong resident, continued, "I was here for a month after Sandy, and ..."
Christie finished Keady's sentence for him.
" ... and there's been 23 months since then, when all you've been doing is flapping your mouth and not doing anything. So listen, you want to have the conversation later? I'm happy to have it, buddy. But until that time, sit down and shut up."
Nice ... not.
Open and Honest ... not.
Concerned about his citizens' problems ... not.
Obnoxious, rude, and overly-evasive ... Yes! Big time.
Well, here's an "impartial take" on Governor Christie's leadership abilities demonstrated during the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy:
On Sandy, Christie gets a "D": Editorial
by Star-Ledger Editorial Board -- October 31, 2014
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NJ TRANSIT: F. Parking trains in a low-lying area, where they were predictably flooded, caused $120 million in damage. The buck stops at Christie's desk.
[...]
HELP FOR HOMEOWNERS: C-minus, tops. Only about 20 percent of the relief money has actually been disbursed. The state's lead contractor was so incompetent it had to be fired. The firm, Hammerman and Gainer, Inc. (HGI), was accused of losing applications and deliberately giving storm victims the runaround. Its decisions were riddled with errors: when appealed, they were reversed in 79 percent of the cases.
RELIEF FOR RENTERS: D. Christie's officials wrongly shortchanged the poorest residents in their initial relief plan, until the feds demanded millions more be shifted to renters and rebuilding public housing. The state also initially failed to provide a plan for Spanish-speakers. It did a good job getting short-term aid out to renters, but now that those dollars are running out, they have few options. Until recently, N.J. did not prioritize rebuilding housing in the hardest-hit areas.
TRANSPARENCY: F. Christie refused to send his top Sandy officials to legislative hearings until well after his re-election. When they did finally address lawmakers and reporters, they neglected to mention that they'd fired their lead contractor on rebuilding without a word to the public. It was only thanks to a public records request from Fair Share Housing that we ultimately learned the contractor had been rejecting eligible Sandy victims. The state apparently had no plan to fix this. Christie could have stepped in for Sandy victims, but didn't. He gutted the bipartisan "Sandy Bill of Rights," which would have entitled them to clear explanations of what they're eligible for and where they stand on the waiting list. He is also trying to circumvent a law that requires close oversight of Sandy relief money. His officials have refused to disclose the bulk of their spending on Sandy contractors, including HGI, in any detail. Instead, they set up a system -- coordinated by a firm that employs Christie's brother, Todd -- to ensure that integrity monitor reports are not released to the legislature, but simply summarized.
[...]
It goes on ... Christie's towering achievements in "transparency" (or lack thereof) ... it's an invisible tower that only he and his co-horts are ever allowed to see.
With nearly $2 Billion in hard-fought Federal Relief dollars hanging in the (80%) balance, someone besides Mr. Keady should be asking questions, 2 years after the fact.
And someone besides "Sit down and Shut up" Chris Christie, should be answering them.