Christie Official: Most Sandy Aid Went To Hoboken Residents, Not The City

[DonViejo]

Source: TPM

HUNTER WALKER – JANUARY 20, 2014, 3:47 PM EST

An aide to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) revealed in a conference call with reporters on Monday that the vast majority of relief money sent to Hoboken, N.J. in the wake of Hurricane Sandy was given to residents, not the city.

Marc Ferzan, the executive director of the Governor’s Office of Recovery and Rebuilding gave the details in an effort to refute claims made my Hoboken's mayor over the weekend. Mayor Dawn Zimmer, a Democrat, alleged that Christie aides had threatened to withhold relief money unless she approved a development project favored by the governor.

Ferzan said Hoboken requested $100 million in storm aid and outlined approximately $70 million he said was given to the city. Most of the money Ferzan identified went to individual residents and businesses rather than the city government.

"There were reports in the media ... that there was very limited disaster recovery funding that made it was way to Hoboken and I was really, folks, scratching my head," said Ferzan.

-snip-

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/sandy-hoboken-relief-funds

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This aide just admitted that the state provided Hoboken with less than the $350,000 Zimmer said the state ponied up so far.

[itsrobert]

1. Sounds like that "aid" was the Insurance payments that Hoboken residents/businesses paid into

as the Mayor has claimed.

[CTyankee]

5. egg-zackly! Wow, this just proves that Zimmer has been right all along...

who is this character? It's so strange that her story would indeed be verified by the Gov's office!

[freshwest]

11. Is there a chance those were state or federally insured payments? If not, he's just spinning it. n/t

[EC]

2. That's what the mayor said

so how does this refute anything? She said the only payments so far were mostly to the individual people and the money for infrastructure and shoring up as requested was not forthcoming. I wonder if the idiots on the right can see that or don't care?

[Niceguy1]

3. maybe all the

Projects should be evaluated and be funded in order of priorities?

[benld74]

4. Prove it aide! Prove it,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Tx4obama]

6. There are TWO separate 70 million dollar amounts (the way I understand it)

Last edited Mon Jan 20, 2014, 08:05 PM - Edit history (1)

The 70 million that the residents got was not the money Christie has control of - it was federal flood insurance money, etc.

Of the 100 million Mayor Zimmer requested - 70 million has been 'approved' but only a bit over 300,000 has been given to the city of Hoboken from Christie.

[deminks]

7. Thank you. The 70 mil that the reich wing is touting is actually private insurance money. nt

[Tx4obama]

8. Another excerpt...

Christie’s storm czar Mark Ferzan, in a rare phone chat with reporters, said Monday that Zimmer’s claim that Hoboken got just $342,000 of the $127 million they requested was “a mischaracterization.”

“I'm scratching my head a little bit about any community that’s getting the short end of the stick,” said Ferzan, who said Hoboken actually got $70 million in recovery aid.

But of that aid money, Christie’s storm czar confirmed what Zimmer said earlier — that $43 million of the aid Hoboken got was from flood insurance money and some $15 million more came from the feds.

-snip-

Here: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/n-lt-governor-slams-false-illogical-claims-article-1.1585322

So, this money was NOT from the Sandy aid Christie has to hand out.

[deminks]

9. I found this breakdown of the Sandy money that Christie has spent.

http://www.app.com/article/20140120/NJNEWS2001/301200065/Chris-Christie-Hoboken

It might be helpful.

[herding cats]

14. Which is exactly what the Mayor has been saying.

I don't think Ferzan even bothered to listen to what Zimmer said before he went out to refute her claims. All he did was back her up.

[DeSwiss]

10. They should just shut the fuck up.

- Or, not. The more they lie the more charges. What a lovely bunch of coconuts.....

K&R

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. Kick (nt)

[Beacool]

13. Christie and his administration are spinning like a top.

It won't be difficult to prove what relief money Hoboken received and what they didn't get.