Results tagged “joncorzine”

NJ residents—and the White House—are anxiously wondering who the next governor of NJ will be. Incumbent Jon Corzine (D) was facing not just Republican challenger Chris Christie but also independent Chris Daggett. Currently, NBC projects that Chris Christie is the winner.

In the close, nasty NJ governor's race, Republican challenger Chris Christie said on Don Imus's radio show yesterday that NJ Governor Jon Cozrine should “man up and say I’m fat.” He was referring to Corzine's suggestive ads; Christie also told Imus, "I'm pretty fat," and predicted he would be a "a big fat winner" next Tuesday. The NY Times looks at the candidates today—"the two rivals made no apologies for the ugly tone of the campaign."

After the media noticed that NJ Governor Corzine's anti-Chris Christie add seemed to relish in showing how his challenger was fat, Corzine's had to do some explaining. Yesterday, he admitted saying Christie "threw his weight around" might not have been the best choice of words, but pointed out, "How many people can abuse their power, abuse their office by flashing their credentials, throw their weight around, however you want to say it?" A new poll showed Corzine leading Christie by 9 points.

The NY Times endorsed incumbent NJ governor Jon Corzine for re-election, but not before going through his flaws: "Most New Jersey voters find him astonishingly inarticulate, and his credentials as a former co-chairman of Goldman Sachs do not seem as impressive as they did before the financial meltdown in 2008. He has poured lots of his personal wealth into this race, far too much of it for biting — and sometimes juvenile — attacks on Mr. Christie. In his second term, we would like to see him back away from the state’s unions."

Wow: NJ's largest newspaper has endorsed the independent candidate for governor, Chris Daggett. The Star-Ledger explains, "The newspaper’s decision is less a rejection of Gov. Jon Corzine and Republican Chris Christie than a repudiation of the parties they represent, both of which have forfeited any claim to the trust and confidence of the people of New Jersey. They share responsibility for the state’s current plight."

Now that the NY Times has wondered if NJ Governor Jon Corzine's re-election campaign is making a big (HA!) deal about Republican challenger Chris Christie's weight, the belt buckle has been loosened for Christie to use it against Corzine. The former U.S. Attorney said during a speech, "As my running mate very well said [during a debate], the cat is out of the bag on that one. I've been in the public eye now for eight years, at various sizes. Up 30 or 40, down 30 or 40, it's kind of been the way it's gone. And I don't think all of you are blind."

The NJ's governor's race is being fiercely fought, with incumbent NJ Governor Jon Corzine (D) trying to hold onto the seat while challenger Chris Christie (R), a former U.S. Attorney, attempts to capitalize on the poor economy and possible Obama-discontent. Christie has been leading in polls, though Corzine has been catching up, so it's no wonder that the campaign ads are getting very nasty. So nasty that Corzine's campaign might be drawing excessive attention to Christie's physical appearance.

About 100 protesters stood outside the home of Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano yesterday and called for his resignation, joining a public plea the day before from NJ Governor Jon Corzine. Despite being arrested as part of the massive corruption bust Thursday, the mayor has insisted he will stay in office continuing "business as usual." Corzine said if Cammarano and other officials refuse to step down, he will seek measures to force them out of office, adding, "If they want to get back into politics once they are proven innocent, I think that's fine." Cammarano was busted for taking $25,000 in bribes and his ambitious climb to become Hoboken's youngest mayor last month lead many to believe he will not go down lightly. A longtime NJ legislator said of him, "Some kids grow up and want to be the center fielder for the Mets. Some grow up and want to be mayor of their town. That was him. He was reveling in it." Meanwhile one spot getting a boost from the scandal—Hoboken's Malibu Diner, the scene of the crime. A manager told the News, “It’s not the kind of publicity we want, but business has picked up."

Barack Obama's in town tonight, so that means you have precious few minutes left to get anywhere by car before the roads congeal with traffic and street closures. Beginning at about 5:15 this evening, the NYPD will close off streets surrounding the Hilton New York—where Obama is scheduled to speak at the NAACP's 100th anniversary convention—along with large chunks of FDR Drive in both directions. The shutdowns should last "for the duration of the event," which leads the NYPD to thoughtfully suggest that "drivers should avoid the Midtown area." If you're a pedestrian, though, break out the green plastic lawn chairs, because it looks like Midtown's going to be one big pedestrian mall tonight.

NJ gubernatorial Chris Christie reassured NJ voters that he's not interested in having soon-to-be former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin stump for him this fall. The Republican challenger did offer one familiar name—the Star-Ledger reports that Christie told 101.5 FM, "This is about New Jersey issues and New Jersey, and I don't think having Governor Palin here would do me, or frankly the state, a whole lot of good in the sense that we need to talk and focus on what the New Jersey issues are. I hope Mayor Giuliani will continue to be supportive and be here and work with me, but other than that, I think the people of New Jersey have to hear from me and that's the person they'll be electing. I'll be sitting in the chair, and I want them to spend most of their time getting to know me." Giuliani endorsed Christie back in February. Governor Jon Corzine, who trails Christie in the polls, is optimistic about his chances, "We have a national recession, we have a global recession. The public understands that President Obama and the Democratic policies are not how we got into this mess."

With Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's schedule after July 26 freeing up, some of her associates say that she's ready to help other Republican candidates with their elections. Republican National Committee chairman Michael Steele even says, "She is an important and galvanizing voice... I believe she will be very helpful to the party this year as we wage critical campaigns in Virginia and NJ." But those states' GOP officials aren't so sure: NJ Republican Chairman Jay Webber said he hadn't hear from Palin's camp and is totally okay with that, "We don't have any plans on having her in. We're busy working to get Chris Christie elected and telling people about the failed record of Gov. Corzine." Christie leads the incumbent 45 to 39 points in a recent poll and the Obama-Biden ticket beat McCain-Palin by 15 points last year. Someone who would like to see Palin in NJ: Corzine, whose spokesman told the AP, "Her positions are certainly consistent with where Christie's been. They would both deny a woman the right to choose and they oppose new gun control legislation. And like Palin, Christie's staked out conservative right-wing positions on rejecting the federal stimulus money, which would create thousands of jobs."

Incumbent NJ Governor Jon Corzine will face off with former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, who won the Republican primary yesterday, in this year's gubernatorial election. Christie defeated Steve Lonegan, who staked out a more conservative position, and will be set on blaming Corzine for NJ's terrible financial state; he said, "For the past four years Jon Corzine has made bad choices - choices that have plunged New Jersey deeper into debt, increased the tax burden on working families, and driven business across our borders to Pennsylvania, Delaware and even New York.” Corzine was on the attack last night, "There were a lot of statements in the Republican primary that I know are contrary to where New Jerseyans feel on a woman's right to choose, on gun control, on a whole host of issues, in addition to whose taxes get cut, how many people get laid off." Politico reports that with Corzine's poor ratings, the GOP hopes to use a NJ gubernatorial victory as a "springboard to a national comeback in the 2010 midterm elections." Related: Primary participation was around 10%, lower than previous primaries.

Goldman Sachs chairman. While billionaires Donald Trump and Wilbur Ross think Corzine would be great, the governor said, "I'm not going to say never to anything. I want to be very clear: I like what I'm doing. I have not had any conversations with anybody about this job. People can speculate--it's nice, my mother will like it. The reality is there are a lot of good people." His pick would be 82-year-old Paul Volcker, the former Federal Reserve chairman who many credit with ending 1970s stagflation.

With scuttlebutt suggesting Senator Barack Obama is unlikely to pick Senator Hillary Clinton as his running mate, Clinton's good friend Governor Jon Corzine said this morning that Clinton would be a "very strong" vice president. "Could she be president? Absolutely. Is she going to add something to the ticket? Yes." The Star-Ledger reports that Corzine, speaking on MSNBC, also thinks that Senator Joe Biden (Del.) is good choice. Biden, Senator Evan Bayh (Ind.) and Virgina Governor Tim Kaine are reportedly on Obama's VP shortlist. Senator John McCain's VP shortlist reportedly has former Massachusetts governor MItt Romney, former Rep. Rob Portman (Ohio), Minnesota Governor Pawlenty, and former Homeland Security secretary Tom Ridge.

Carla Katz was suspended as the head of the largest local of the Communications Workers of America. The CWA's national executive board believes there's, per the AP, "financial malpractice and suppression of dissent among the local’s 16,000 members, 10,000 of whom are state workers" (see the claims here). Katz denies the charges and says they are "appalling." Her past relationship with NJ Governor Jon Corzine has been scrutinized (Corzine gave her a $6 million settlement after they broke up) and a NJ state judge recently said Corzine must turn over his emails with Katz.

The Star-Ledger reports that NJ Governor Jon Corzine will be sharing with the spotlight today with a 115-pound Doberman pinscher. The dog is Buck the Buckle-Up Dog, who helps remind children and adults alike to "Please Buckle-Up Evey Time You Ride."

NJ Governor Jon Corzine, who was critically injured after not wearing a seat belt when his state vehicle crashed, endorsed a proposal requiring all passengers wear seat belts in vehicles on NJ roads. He also supported recommendations for stricter restrictions for drivers under age 20, even admitting his three children had been in accidents as teen drivers.

NJ Governor Jon Corzine and Pennsylvania Ed Rendell have offered a plan to re-stage the Florida and Michigan Democratic primaries. The two men, both Clinton supporters, say they will raise half of the $30 million it would take for new primaries. Funny, where's Governor Spitzer, who said he'd support Clinton but has called Obama "spectacular"?

http://gothamist.com/2008/02/05/get_out_your_pr.php

Sometimes we refer to Mayor Bloomberg as Mayor Bling because with a net worth with $5.5 billion (according to Forbes), why not? And what's frequently mentioned is how his staff is looking into the possibility of Bloomberg running for president - though he denies it all the time - because he would have about $1 billion to spend on a third-party campaign. Former president Bill Clinton mentioned Bloomberg's wealth with respect to needing to reign in campaign finance rules while stumping for his wife in Iowa.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a bank robbery at 1 Broadway in Manhattan, a person under a train at the Queensboro Plaza station in Queens, and a child struck by a city bus on Parkside Ave. in Brooklyn.
• Thieves are targeting open houses across the Upper West Side--stealing personal possessions after gaining access to homes. Oddly, one of the two woman thieves is suspected to actually be a man in drag.
• Chants of "No justice, no noodles!" were heard outside of Ollies on West 84th St. this week as workers protested substandard wages.
• NJ Governor Jon Corzine said that he'd risk his job to ensure the state's fiscal stability. Essentially, he's willing to raise state tolls even if it costs him the next election.
• A chart shows the relative sizes of different social networking sites (Yahoo! Mail is HUGE!).
• Who orders bacon with their veggie burgers?
• A survey conducted by the Government Accountability Office testing airport security at 19 facilities across the country showed that bomb-like materials could be smuggled through checkpoints at every airport.
• These pictures make us want to lobby for U.S. currency with NYC buildings on them.

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an unstable building at 37th Ave. and 31st St. in Queens, a stabbing on State St. and 3rd Ave. in Brooklyn, and an organ transport on the Cross Island Parkway in Queens.
• GrandOpening on the LES is following up its single-table storefront Ping Pong concept with another slice of Americana: the drive-in movie theater. $75 will secure all six passenger seats in a ragtop Ford Falcon. We recommend burning the two extra tickets for a less awkward double date.
• In what to us makes NJ Gov. Jon Corzine seem like a candidate for a "Ripley's, Believe it or Not!" segment, the reformed seatbelt wearer had 10 pounds of excess bone growth removed from his femur during surgery today. Ten pounds!
• The Times' Freakonomics blog notes that panhandlers may earn more than low-ranking NYPD cops.
• Four tales of people who just had to leave the city.
• The New York Post will soon start publishing a Page Six glossy magazine that will weigh in at almost 100 pages and come as an insert with the Sunday paper.
• Friends and family gathered today for the official naming of the block at 53rd St. and 8th Ave. as Jerry Orbach Way.

Mayor Cory Booker unveiled new technology to help fight crime in Newark. The plan is called "Community Eye," and it will "marry audio gunshot-detection technology with a series of remote-control public surveillance cameras into a network," according to the Star-Ledger. Booker hopes to put 100 cameras and audio gunshot-detection machines to work, as the Newark Community Foundation has promised to raise $3.2 million for the effort. Booker said, "When all the cameras and gunshot detectors are up, we will have about 8 square miles of the city covered."

Nineteen-year-old Natasha Aerial, who was the only survivor from Saturday night's shootings in a Newark schoolyard, managed to speak to police yesterday. While her brother and two friends died from being shot in the head, execution-style, Aerial survived a gunshot to the head. She is heavily sedated and under police guard. Still, Newark Police Director (and former NYPD Deputy Commissioner for Operations) Garry McCarthy said, "We're getting the story piecemeal from her. Based upon witness testimony, we believe it was a robbery."

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: an abduction on Dorchester Rd. in Brooklyn, an armed robbery with shots fired on Richmond Ave. on Staten Island, and a bank robbery on Broadway and 68th St. in Manhattan.
• If one has been ordained by an online ministry, it's good to make sure the state you marry people in will recognize your performance at the altar. A possible problem is that even state officials in charge of issuing marriage licenses are unclear on the rules.
• Sunset Park tavern The Thirsty Duck was selling illegal drugs from behind its bar. Cops busted the Brooklyn bar for dealing marijuana and cocaine to patrons.
• Plans to turn the Farley Post Office into a new Madison Square Garden and side entrance for a new Penn Station continue to hit roadblocks. Amtrak is now insisting it has veto power over the entire project.
• A judge wants to peruse copies of all the emails exchanged between NJ Gov. Jon Corzine and his one-time girlfriend and union boss Carla Katz, so he can decide whether to pass them along to Republican opponents of the governor.
• NYC Stuff Exchange is a city-facilitated online service that allows people to donate, buy, sell, rent, or repair gently used items.
• The city settled a suit for $1.25 million with a woman who was injured in 2002 when she drove into a giant pothole on Atlantic Ave.
• Police conducted 12% fewer stop-and-frisks in the second quarter of 2007 than during the same period in 2006.

It's the future, now! The Daily Intelligencer posted this Skidmore, Owings & Merrill/SWIM rendering of Freedom Tower's lobby, and finds out from SOM's TJ Gottesdiener that the lobby will shed "light into the memorial pool." Notice how the way light falls in Freedom Tower's lobby mimics how light would fall in the World Trade Center's lobby. It's wild to think there's a lobby rendering - remember when Freedom Tower was just redesign upon redesign?

NJ Governor Jon Corzine told reporters that he will not use his e-mail anymore as NJ Republicans have filed a lawsuit demanding that Corzine's e-mails with ex-girlfriend and NJ union leader Carla Katz be made public. Corzine said, "We’ll go back to the 1920s, and have direct conversations with people." We'll guess his staff is also getting him books on Morse Code, smoke signals, and sending messages in bottles.

The New York Times notes an interesting and under-stressed part of Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing plan that would charge drivers $8 for entering a certain zone in midtown and lower Manhattan: the plan is also going to charge drivers $8 to leave midtown and downtown Manhattan. The Times seems to think that charging drivers to exit a proposed congestion zone is counterintuitive, prompting Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff to admit that congestion pricing has less to do with reducing congestion, than just getting people not to drive in Manhattan at all.

Carla Katz is a smart lady. After, well, years of speculation about her relationship with NJ Governor Jon Corzine and the recent revelation that Corzine gave her a settlement worth $6 million after they broke up, Katz, an influential union leader, decided to talk. And she spoke to none other than the Post's Cindy Adams.

Plans for a World Trade Center memorial continue to crawl along, and WNBC has a story today about the personal donations that are funding the effort and the memorial itself. $300 million has been raised to build a set of reflecting pools and a museum at Ground Zero, much of that money coming from a fundraising drive over the last six months. The story includes a list of top donors, and we found it interesting that most of the individuals listed are New York-area politicians. Mayor Bloomberg donated $15 million. NJ Governor Jon Corzine donated $2 million. Governor Spitzer and his family chipped in $2 million as well. Donors in the under $100,000 category include former NY Governor Pataki and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.