State Sen. Ronald L. Rice (D-Newark) called out his son today, Newark West Ward Councilman Ron Rice, Jr., for a Facebook comment last week wondering if Gov. Chris Christie is “on crack” in regards to Christie’s possible education funding prerogatives.
Senator Rice today called on Councilman Rice to “seek a face-to-face meeting with the Governor over his concerns.”
“As a father, I’ve been very proud of the fact that Ron has followed my footsteps into politics, and that he’s passionate about the issues affecting his constituents,” said the senior Rice.
“Unfortunately, I think he’s a little too quick on the keyboard for his own good sometimes, and while I think he certainly has a point regarding his educational funding concerns, there was a better way to approach the subject. We need to learn to disagree without being disagreeable, and I think this was a case in which Ron’s remarks were right-hearted, but wrong-headed.”
Rice, Jr. told PolitickerNJ last week that his remarks were said in jest and, inflammatory as they might be, should not draw attention from the actual policy issue of substituting donated funding from Facebook mogul Mark Zuckerberg for eliminated Abbott district funding that Newark relies upon.
His father added in his press release today, “Ron’s concerns are valid, even if his tone is somewhat lacking.”
The elder Rice does not come from the same political circles as Rice the younger, who is a staunch supporter of Newark Mayor Cory Booker.
In fact Rice, Sr. has chosen not to endorse his son for office in the past, was on the opposite side of the Booker vs. Sharpe James mayoral Street Fight in 2002, and lost a mayoral bid to Booker in 2006.
