Monday, April 29, 2013
Highlands Council president hopes funding will get residents back in homes and businesses open
New Jersey’s disaster recovery plan calls for $1.83 billion to support a variety of housing, infrastructure and business programs, Gov. Chris Christie and U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Shaun Donovan announced Monday, six months after Hurricane Sandy devasted areas of the state's coast. Before a crowd of more than 50 at Moby’s restaurant in Highlands, Donovan announced HUD’s approval of the disaster recovery plan to help homeowners and businesses following Hurricane Sandy. The $1.83 billion will be funded through HUD’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program. “Today we take another important step toward recovery and healing for hard-hit communities in New Jersey,” said Donovan, who chairs President Barack Obama…
What do you think of the governor's statements that are angering conservative critics?
Gov. Christie told MSNBC Monday morning "the President has kept his promises" regarding Sandy relief and that he has "no complaints." Christie, a Republican with likely presidential aspirations, also said on the "Morning Joe" program that he tells his conservative critics that he was just "doing his job" when he worked with Democrat Obama in the grim weeks and months following Superstorm Sandy. Christie continues to get heat from Republicans, especially their conservative members, for his statements about how he was being "responsible" welcoming Obama and working with him when he made his early November, post-Sandy and pre-election visit to the Garden State, as noted by Joe Scarborough, host of "Morning Joe" and a former Republican …
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Sierra Club Exec Director Jeff Tittel says plan leaves state vulnerable in next storm
Thursday, April 18, 2013
The New Jersey governor held a table discussion with area business owners about the prospects of the upcoming summer season.
Gov. Chris Christie isn't just confident that the Jersey Shore is ready to welcome back visitors to its beaches and businesses, he's sure of it. At McLoone's Pier House in Long Branch Thursday afternoon, Christie held a roundtable discussion with several area business owners to listen to their concerns and expectations for the summer, and to ask them to let him know what the state can do to facilitate the coast's continued recovery following Hurricane Sandy. Despite some lingering issues, the message was largely uniform. "The good news I heard from them is that they're open for business." The goal now, Christie said, is to spread that message, to let the shore's visitors know that their favorite summer destination is ready to welcome them…
Friday, April 5, 2013
A housing group has filed a lawsuit against the state claiming it was denied answer to its Open Public Records Act request for documents.
The Fair Share Housing Center has filed and Open Public Records Act complaint against the state of New Jersey, claiming the Christie Administration has not been upfront about its hiring of a consultant to oversee the spending of billions in Hurricane Sandy relief aid. According to the complaint, the state has not complied with a request to provide FSHC with documents relating to the contract and award of a consultant responsible for preparing a plan to spend more than $5 billion federal Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery funds. The organization, which is dedicated to defending the housing rights of the state's poor, filed the complaint in Mercer County Superior Court Wednesday. The records request was first made with the …
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
The action comes nearly a week after the governor predicted FEMA will scale back tough new flood maps it issued last December.
The Christie administration has taken another step toward supporting new statewide elevation standards based on Federal Emergency Management Agency flood maps. On Monday, the administration filed with the Office of Administrative Law an adoption package supporting the standards. The action comes nearly a week after Christie predicted FEMA will scale back tough new flood maps it issued last December. Those maps place a large amount of properties in flood zones, and require many structures to be elevated if their owners don't want to see flood insurance rates spike. The initial FEMA flood maps, which could create thousands more in insurance premiums and have residents raising their houses feet off the ground, are "too aggressive," said Gov…
Friday, March 22, 2013
Governor provides update on rebuilding, with focus on flood maps and Blue Acres buyout, and plenty of anecdotes
Gov. Chris Christie predicted the Federal Emergency Management Agency will scale back tough new flood maps it issued last December, according to news reports. Those maps place many more properties in flood zones, requiring many of them to be elevated if their owners don't want to see flood insurance rates soar, according to reports. The initial FEMA flood maps, which could create thousands more in insurance premiums and have residents raising their houses feet off the ground, are "too aggressive," said Gov. Christie at Thursday's town hall meeting. He was addressing a packed crowd of officials and residents in the Hurricane Sandy damaged town of Manasquan, and Christie returned to the complicated and controversial topic of what would …
Monday, March 4, 2013
This process is needed to help alleviate the hardship being experienced by residents whose property was damaged or destroyed by Sandy, said Governor Christie
A mediation process has been established by the Christie administration that gives those affected by Hurricane Sandy the option to settle disputed cases without resorting to costly and time consuming lawsuits. This process is needed to help alleviate the hardship being experienced by residents whose property was damaged or destroyed by Sandy, said Governor Christie. As of Feb. 15, the percentage of claims closed was at 87 percent overall and 91 percent for homeowners. This mediation program is an opportunity to expediently resolve outstanding claims so that residents can continue to rebuild their lives, Christie said. The new program will allow property owners to submit homeowner’s, automobile and commercial property claims to a mediator …
Monday, February 25, 2013
The governor gives kudos to the two rock stars for helping with Hurricane Sandy recovery, politics aside.
The Rumson-Fair Haven shore area is known as the land of Springsteen and Bon Jovi. Springsteen has a home in Rumson and Bon Jovi lives in the Navesink section of Middletown. Both are known to show up to support many a cause in the area, including Democratic political campaigns. Neither one has supported Republican Gov. Chris Christie. And Christie is an openly avid Boss fan. But, the two rockers have set politics aside to pool resources to save the Jersey Shore and have been appointed by Christie's wife, Mary Pat, to the Hurricane Sandy New Jersey Relief Fund Advisory Board. Bon Jovi came to Sea Bright to see the progress with Sea Bright Rising's tent/food city in the wake of Sandy. The governor has made several stops to Sea Bright as …
A Quinnipiac University poll released this week shows Chris Christie with a big lead over his Democratic challenger, state Sen. Barbara Buono.
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Monday, February 25
Gov. Chris Christie is the best person to lead New Jersey over the next four years, according to voters polled in a survey released last week by Quinnipiac University. Christie, a Republican, leads his Democratic rival, state Sen. Barbara Buono (D-Middlesex), 62 percent to 25 percent in the state's 2013 gubernatorial race, according to the poll. Last week, Sea Bright Mayor Dina Long made a controversial political move when she publicly endorsed the governor's reelection bid. The governor's overall approval rating also remains high. Christie's 74 percent approval rating and 69 percent favorable rating tie his personal record highs from January, the Huffington Post reports, both numbers buoyed by public perception of the way he handled …
Thomas Bruno
2:43 pm on Tuesday, April 30, 2013
I believe that politicians became what they are today by pandering to party interests and forgetting their purpose is to serve all of the people, not just those who'll vote in the next primary. I hope that for all of his faults - and we ALL have them - Gov Christie becomes that type of politician who remembers this. It is fine to disagree with the likes of 'Corzine Democrats' because their ideas … more ›