STATEWIDE — It’s hard to be a monthly magazine. You plan what you think will be a generally quiet piece on your state’s lieutenant governor, and you send the magazine to print. Then, days later, a scandal erupts regarding said lieutenant governor, but too late for you to reflect that in the story. So subscribers who are gorging themselves on scandal news get a magazine with its cover saying, “Meet Kim Guadagno, NJ’s governor-in-waiting” and no mention of the maelstrom.
We at a weekly newspaper understand that well. But wait — the story is more relevant than one might initially think.
In the wake of Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer’s allegations about Guadagno’s alleged suggestion of a quid pro quo between private development and the city receiving Hurricane Sandy funds, the article sheds a bit of light on Guadagno’s transparency (or lack thereof) and her relationship to Gov. Chris Christie, whom Zimmer alleged may have sent the message down through Guadagno.
The article, entitled “Next in Line,” says Guadagno was only willing to respond to emailed questions for the profile.
The piece notes:
“
Those around the lieutenant governor are also tight-lipped. A half-dozen current and former administration officials who have worked with Guadagno either declined to discuss her tenure in Trenton or did not return phone calls. One high-ranking official who has worked on business development issues with Guadagno said, ‘I like my job.’ It wasn’t any fear of repercussion from Christie for speaking out of turn, the official claimed, explaining, ‘The administration wants a unified message.’ Still, there was no comment for this article from the governor’s office about his realtionship with Guadagno, and Guadagno declined comment on the topic, too. ‘Details on our relationship are between the governor and me,’ she says.”
The story discusses Guadagno’s history as a prosecutor, her family life, and alludes to a her being “dogged by charges raised three years ago” concerning an appointee of hers who allegedly may have been “double dipping” with a pension and salary.
To read the story, click here.
On a related note, on Saturday, the Associated Press published a story saying that Hurricane Sandy aid to Hoboken was on par with that received by other towns. Hoboken city spokesman Juan Melli responds to the claims in that article.
To read local coverage of the Zimmer/Christie/Guadagno issue, pick up the Hoboken Reporter on your stoop in Hoboken this weekend or come back to hudsonreporter.com starting Sunday and scroll down to the Hoboken stories.