Did Gov. Chris Christie need the endorsement of the Fort Lee mayor in his quest to thoroughly trounce Barbara Buono in the gubernatorial election? The polls before and the outcome after surely indicate that he didn’t. How would a huge traffic jam in Fort Lee caused by the closing of two lanes of the George Washington Bridge punish the mayor of Fort Lee?
It wouldn’t. The traffic jam was caused by the Port Authority — not the mayor — when it closed off the two lanes. Does Christie direct the activities of the Port Authority? No. He and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo appoint commissioners to the bistate agency who oversee its operation through multimanagement layers, right down to the lowest-level employees. To close down two lanes of the George Washington Bridge to exact political retribution on a local mayor of the opposition party — whose endorsement would be inconsequential in a landslide election — defies all logic.
If Christie did participate in such juvenile lunacy, then his political career should end. I doubt he was aware that some of his young eager-beaver campaign operatives had pierced the management veil at the Port Authority and pulled off this caper without understanding the consequences. As the governor said, “It was stupid,” The perpetrators should be apprehended and prosecuted.
Richard A. Pender
North Brunswick