ELIZABETH – Gov. Chris Christie took credit for budging New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg into allowing former New Jersey Gov. Donald DiFrancesco to participate in the ten-year anniversary of Sept. 11, 2001 next month.
“If we allowed New York to make this decision, no one from New Jersey would be there,” said the governor. “There should be no question. Governor Pataki will be there, and Gov. DiFrancesco should be there. …we made that point clear over a number of weeks and I’m happy yesterday Mayor Bloomberg agreed to allow the former governor to play a role in the ceremony.”
Christie denied he called Bloomberg “a putz” or a “dictator” – at least to “aides,” as reported by the New York Post.
“We’re friends,” Christie said of the mayor of New York.
While not willing to go to war over it, the governor admitted he would still prefer that Port Authority of New York and New Jersey Chairman David Samson be included.
“He is the leader of the ground we will be standing on,” Christie said of Samson.
But, “… We’re not going to have an Alexander Hamilton-Aaron Burr moment” over the issue.