Reminder to Gov. Christie: You Work for Us

by: Blue Jersey

Thu Sep 15, 2011 at 04:24:44 PM EDT

Actually, Governor, when you do it in our name, as Governor of the State of New Jersey, we are.

Last week's revelation of a hidden gubernatorial trip to a Koch Brothers corporate lovefest in Colorado once again shows a Governor with a problem defining the line between public and private, in a way that hurts New Jersey taxpayers, every day.

So back then it was ok for the Governor to act publicly - using a publicly-funded $12.5 million helicopter - to deal with something that was clearly within his private life.

Now, the Governor claims the right to act privately - hiding his speeches, e-mails, and even where he's going - from the public when doing public business. Governor Christie isn't going to Koch Brothers meetings as part of his "personal life" as the Governor claims. He doesn't get to go because they think he's a really good dad or because it's a cool vacation. It's because New Jersey (well, 48% of New Jersey) elected him Governor.

This kind of secrecy has consequences. We don't know who is advising Christie out of state; we don't know who is paying money in return, given the potential of shadowy donations to groups like Reform Jersey Now and Center for a Better New Jersey that don't disclose records; and we can't verify the truth of important questions, like Christie's damning accusation about Speaker Sheila Oliver. We have no way of knowing when the Governor is making policy based on national ambitions and dollars instead of based on those of us stuck with his decisions in New Jersey. In short, we have no way of knowing what he is doing in our name, as Governor of our state.

So we at Blue Jersey offer the Governor two pieces of advice.

First, a reminder that there is a thing called the law. You should know that, having served as U.S. Attorney for eight years. It's not about you and your generosity on bestowing what you wish us to hear, as you hinted at a press conference yesterday ("I'm not doing it - so move on.") It's about what laws like the Open Public Records Act require you to disclose to us, as our employee. This notion will catch up with you, probably sooner rather than later. You'd be well advised to get out in front and just comply.

Second, there's 8.5 million of us here, living our lives every day. We're not pawns in your national political ambitions or the Koch Brothers experiment. Cut the trips to Colorado, focus on New Jersey, and stop talking down to us. Secretly sacrificing your own state for your corporate cronies may fly for the Governor of Texas - but it isn't going to play in Paramus or Pennsauken.