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1-19-10 Chris Christie - Inauguration Day
Read morning articles - The Record, Star Ledger, My Central New Jersey, New York Times
Christie hoping to cut teachers union's clout Tuesday, January 19, 2010 By CHARLES STILE Governor-elect Chris Christie's bull-in-a-china-shop battle with the New Jersey Education Association, whose 200,000-strong militia of teachers makes it the state's most powerful union, has been a colorful sideshow to this transition period. Governor-elect Chris Christie, who will take office today, is taking a gamble by challenging the New Jersey Education Association. But when Christie formally becomes New Jersey's 55th governor today, the skirmish will morph into something else — the organizing principle of Christie's new administration. Christie has taken a bold, strategic gamble by taking on the biggest guy on West State Street. But if he is able to force NJEA to buckle, then the rest of Trenton's high council of special interests – state worker unions, politically connected hospitals, business groups — will follow. Those special interests will read the writing on the wall and negotiate an early peace rather than slug it out in the Legislature or in the court of public opinion, where they are not that popular, anyway. That could open the door to pension reform, municipal consolidation and a whole host of other issues that have languished for years. "If he is to slay this dragon early, his credibility increases enormously and other labor unions … and the entire bureaucracy will be trembling," said Brigid Harrison, a political scientist at Montclair State University. And by taking them on early, Harrison said, any negative fallout could be forgotten by the time he seeks reelection in 2012. To make it work, the NJEA will have to give ground on line-in-the-sand issues they have fiercely opposed for decades, such as taxpayer-subsidized "vouchers" to help pay a city student's tuition at a private school. Christie also wants teachers to compete for merit pay increases. He has called for reforming teacher tenure, which makes it difficult for schools to prune incompetent teachers from the payroll. And he wants to increase the number of charter schools, an effort that stalled under Governor Corzine. In an interview last Friday, Christie dismissed the bellwether theory, although he said that if it does have that effect, all the better. His attack reflects the long-simmering sentiments of social conservatives, suburban parents and now a growing chorus of African-American leaders that the union power has kept city children trapped in failed public schools. Reforms, Christie said, would give many aspiring students and their middle-class parents an escape and a choice. "I am a kid of the city and my parents made the determination to move me out of that city when I got to be school age because they didn't want me to go school in Newark," Christie said. "And they borrowed from both of their parents to be able to buy this little house in Livingston because my parents heard it was the best public school system in Essex County. And I think about it, how would my life be different if they hadn't?" Christie's choice for education commissioner, former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler, was painted as too conservative during failed bids for governor in 2001 and 2005, when he was an ardent champion of vouchers and school reform. But the political curve has turned the debate full square into the mainstream, and some of those same ideas are now embraced by people like the Rev. Reginald T. Jackson, director of the Black Ministers Council, and Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a champion of merit pay. And legislation that would award corporations tax credits for subsidizing "scholarships" to private schools is co-sponsored by Sen. Ray Lesniak of Union County, one of the Legislature's leading liberals. "To me, government is behind the curve on this," Christie said. "I think I would just be dragging government to the party." So far, the union has held its powder, but it's clear that they are getting antsy — and tired of being picked on. They are a sleeping giant, pumping millions into political campaigns for decades, giving particular preference to incumbents. Their members are in every nook and cranny of the state. They are well-informed of the issues – and can easily be mobilized into an Election Day get-out-the-vote army. That helps explain why the union has successfully killed or blunted most major education reforms. "At some point, sit down and talk with us rather than talk at us," said Steve Wollmer, the union's communication director. "Settling political scores is not governing." Wollmer sounded as if he was in the early stages of boiling down the union's 4-inch-thick binder of policy papers into sound bites and sharp retorts. There has been no link, he said, between student achievement and merit pay. A limited pot of merit-pay money will end the collaborative spirit essential to teaching, turning colleague into a competitor for a limited supply of cash. And while the union is willing to discuss ways to improve the tenure process, it will fiercely oppose any plan that strips teachers "of their due process rights." Other Trenton veterans are puzzled by the Christie approach and say it amounts to a big gamble. Other unions, for example, are certainly expected to mobilize and stall his efforts in the Legislature, where they have devoted allies. "An injury to one is an injury to all," said Bob Master, regional director of the Communications Workers of America, the largest state worker union. But the larger danger is a failure to wrest any reforms. A stalemate is status quo, and in Christie vernacular, status quo is failure. "They [the public] just want to see something," Christie said. "I think you've got to also keep that in mind as you're developing policy. Some things have to be baby steps of things that improve just to show progress to give those guys some encouragement." E-mail: stile@northjersey.com January 18, 2010 Inaugural events expected to draw large number of Central Jerseyans By MICHAEL DEAK and GENE RACZ STAFF WRITERS When President Barack Obama was sworn into office a year ago, thousands went to Washington, D.C., to witness the historic events and celebrate the first Democratic president in eight years. Tuesday's inauguration here of Chris Christie as the state's 55th governor, coming at a time when the state is facing a fiscal crisis, will be relatively low-key. And Christie has decided to return to his hometown of Newark for two events to mark the day. The day's events will begin with an 8 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark. The final event will be a cocktail reception from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Prudential Center also in Newark. Sandwiched between the two events will be the actual inauguration where Christie and Lieutenant Governor-elect Kim Guadagno will take their oaths of office at noon in the Trenton War Memorial. Attendance at the church service and the inauguration are by invitation only because of limited seating. Tickets to the cocktail reception at the Prudential Center are $500. Enthusiasm for the day's activities varies on geographical political leanings. Traditionally Republican Somerset County will send a legion to this city and to Newark while Middlesex County, dominated by Democrats, will be sending fewer. "It's an exhilarating experience, and it doesn't matter what party is being sworn in to power. I just think it's a compelling demonstration of democracy and I enjoy it very, very much. I'm looking forward to being there," Somerset County Freeholder Director Jack Ciattarelli who will be attending the inauguration. Because of his children's activities, Ciattarelli and his wife Melinda only will be attending the inauguration itself. Somerset County Republican Chairman Dale Florio said he wants to attend all three major events. "I hope to go to the swearing in at noon, and also the evening reception, which will be a little bit different than past inaugural social events," Florio said. "It will be a bit low key in keeping with the times and quite frankly to be able to accommodate all the folks that want to go, it's just easier to do a larger reception than trying to do a black tie dinner." Middlesex County Republican Chairman Joe Leo said he will be attending the church service as well as the swearing-in ceremony here. Leo added that the $500 price tag for the evening gala may cause him to balk. One Republican in Middlesex County who will be attending the gala at the Prudential Center will be Brian R. Hackett, a 21-year-old from Monroe who made an unsuccessful run in the GOP primary in last year's Assembly race in the 14th District. Hackett currently serves as the campaign manager for two candidates from the Monroe Township Republican Organization ? his father, Keith B. Hackett, who is running for Middlesex County Sheriff and Harold V. Kane, who is running for Middlesex County Clerk. "It's nice that (the gala) is not going be a black-tie affair like so many of them usually are," said Hackett. "The way the economy is, it's preferable if people don't have to get tuxedos and spend all this money. I really appreciate the way they structured it." Rabbi Randi Musnitsky of Temple Har Shalom in Warren will deliver a prayer at the evening reception. Former Bernards Township mayor Al LiCata, executive director of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors, said his organization will be hosting a reception following the inauguration. One prominent Democrat who will be attending the evening gala will be Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac who was one of 10 persons chosen by Christie for his transition team. "I'm the mayor of the sixth biggest town in state, and I should be at the inauguration to make contact with the people whose decisions affect our township," said McCormac. He added that the celebration by the Republicans come at a time when there is a sense of apprehension among Trenton politicians who know major issues, especially fiscal, need to be addressed. "They know they're walking into a time bomb," McCormac said. Both Florio and Ciattarelli said they are anticipating what Christie will say in his inauguration speech. "I certainly would hope to hear some broad themes of getting our house in order, continuing to sound the message that we've gone too far in terms of expanding government and that the only way we can get ourselves back on track is if everybody -- people in the private sector, people in the public sector -- all pitch in and are willing to help. This has to be a statewide effort," Florio said. "There are going to be people that are going to naturally reject that, but quite frankly the financial stability of the state really depends on everybody recognizing that everybody has a stake in this." "What I'm looking for in him is boldness and specificity," Ciattarelli said. "I think people are much more intelligent today about idle talk and they know that only specific solutions are going to solve our problems. So in that sense I just have a feeling he is not going to let us down." Martin Bricketto contributed to the article. Michael Deak: 908-243-6611; mdeak@MyCentralJersey.com Gene Racz: 732-565-7306; gracz@MyCentralJersey.com Newark cathedral, businesses prepare N.J. Gov.-elect Christie inaugural events By Chris Megerian/Statehouse Bureau January 18, 2010, 4:24PM NEWARK – The workers at Hobby’s Delicatessen started this morning assembling corned beef and pastrami on rolls. By Tuesday night, there will be 600 sandwiches lined up for Gov.-elect Chris Christie’s inaugural ball at the Prudential Center in Newark. “We have never worked on an inaugural event before,” said Hobby’s co-owner Michael Brummer. “We are honored to be a part of it.” Hobby’s is one of several restaurants around the state contributing food to the inaugural ball, the last of three events tomorrow marking Christie’s inauguration as the state’s 55th governor. Matt Rainey/The Star-LedgerSteve Adubato Sr., left, greets NJ Governor-elect Chris Christie as he arrives at an event at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark. Christie will attend an inauguration Mass at the cathedral on Tuesday. Preparations were in full swing today. At the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, where a mass will be held tomorrow morning, workers spent hours assembling floral arrangements and television crews laid wires across the marble floor. About 30 bishops and priests will participate in the services, and copies of the Bible for those leading the Mass were already set aside and opened to the appropriate passages. The church has never held an inaugural mass before in its 55-year history. MORE COVERAGE • N.J. Gov.-elect Chris Christie ready to take charge • Paul Mulshine: Springsteen should stay out of politics: A conversation with the real boss • Full Star-Ledger coverage of the N.J. Governor-elect Chris Christie transition “In view of the huge problems we face in the state, I thought asking the Lord’s blessing was a good idea,” Archbishop John Myers said. After the mass, Christie will be whisked south to Trenton for the official swearing-in ceremony. In a departure from tradition, Christie and outgoing Gov. Jon Corzine will not make the traditional walk from the Statehouse to the War Memorial for the ceremony. “We structured the inauguration in a way that would permit us to have a great day and permit everyone else to enjoy the day the way they wanted to enjoy it,” Christie said. During his inaugural address, Christie plans to broadly outline his response to the state’s fiscal crisis. "This job is about renewing people's confidence in the fact that government can actually work," he said. "That's the way I see the challenge now." After the ceremony, the day’s events will continue at the Prudential Center. Despite several overtures from Christie’s transition team, Jersey rock legend Bruce Springsteen — Christie’s favorite musician and an avowed liberal — will not be making an appearance. Instead, a cover band will play at the event. Other scheduled performers include Newark Boys Chorus, a teen jazz trio and Michael Dutra, a Sinatra tribute act. Statehouse Bureau reporter Claire Heininger contributed to this report. ________________________________________ NY TIMES - January 19, 2010 For Christie, an Inauguration on a Budget By DAVID KOCIENIEWSKI He made his name by indicting New Jersey politicians. He rose to the apex of the state’s political hierarchy by warning residents of the painful measures he would have to impose to bring New Jersey back from the brink of financial ruin. But when he is sworn in as the state’s 55th governor on Tuesday, Christopher J. Christie, 47, will ask taxpayers and elected officials alike to join him in rebuilding a state government besieged by budget shortfalls, a culture of corruption and crippling public debt. Since defeating Gov. Jon S. Corzine in November, Mr. Christie has struck an uncharacteristically self-effacing tone when speaking about being sworn in as governor, and the events planned for his inauguration reflect a similar modesty. Rather than surround himself with celebrities or political luminaries, Mr. Christie has chosen to celebrate the accomplishments of people he calls New Jersey heroes: volunteers who run soup kitchens and food banks and children who participate in a youth hockey program in Newark. “This isn’t about big names or political celebrities or glamorous symbolism,” said Maria Comella, his spokeswoman. “It’s about the working people and the families of New Jersey.” After talking for years about the corrosive influence of money on New Jersey politics, Mr. Christie agreed to have his inaugural committee abide by the state’s recently enacted ban on so-called pay-to-play practices and restricted vendors who do business with the state from making contributions of more than $300 for the event. And acknowledging the tough economic times that many state residents are enduring, Mr. Christie’s celebration at the Prudential Center in Newark will be pared down to look less like a black-tie gala than a street fair held indoors. Business attire will be encouraged rather than formalwear, and the festivities, which will have a “Taste of New Jersey” theme, will feature food stations from an assortment of caterers and restaurants from around the state. Most of the proceeds from the $500-a-ticket event will be donated to charities. “When people are worrying about their jobs and their taxes, it just would have felt wrong to have people in tuxedos and gowns,” Todd J. Christie, the governor-elect’s brother and the chairman of his inaugural committee, said in an interview last month. “So this will be a way to celebrate some of the great things about New Jersey.” Given Mr. Christie’s promise to “turn Trenton upside down” in his quest to close a budget gap of $8 billion, the celebration on Tuesday may seem like a momentary oasis of calm. Much of the new governor’s day will be spent in Mr. Christie’s hometown of Newark, starting with an 8 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart to be said by Archbishop John J. Myers. Mr. Christie, a Roman Catholic, will be accompanied by his wife, Mary Pat, and their four children. The swearing-in ceremony, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at the Trenton War Memorial, will be the only major event to be held in the state’s capital. It will be filled with faces familiar to Mr. Christie and his lieutenant governor, Kim Guadagno. An a cappella rendition of the national anthem will be performed by Pat Guadagno and the Candle Brothers, a local group. Mr. Guadagno is Ms. Guadagno’s brother-in-law. The oath of office will be administered by Stuart J. Rabner, the chief justice of the state’s Supreme Court, who once worked for Mr. Christie and alongside Ms. Guadagno when Mr. Christie was the United States attorney in Newark. Mr. Christie has released few details of his inaugural address, which Ms. Comella said was being fine-tuned over the holiday weekend. But aides say that, befitting the occasion, it would include none of the stinging criticism that Mr. Christie has leveled at state officials in recent weeks. Mr. Christie, for example, lashed out at his predecessor when Mr. Corzine approved $120 million in aid to the state’s distressed cities. “Seriously, there’s eight days left,” Mr. Christie said. “Can he please keep his hand out of the cash register for the next eight days?” Instead, Mr. Christie is expected to ask New Jersey residents to unite behind him by committing to community service and shared sacrifice. After the swearing-in, Mr. Christie will travel to Newark, where he will stop by an early-evening pizza party for participants in the Newark youth hockey program before moving on to host his own celebration at the Prudential Center beginning at 6 p.m. Mr. Christie’s brother, Todd, tried to lure Bruce Springsteen — New Jersey’s rock star laureate and the Republican governor-elect’s favorite musician — to perform by offering to make a donation to a charity of Mr. Springsteen’s choice. But Mr. Springsteen, who has performed at benefits for an assortment of Democrats in recent years, declined. Instead, the inaugural lineup will include a set by the B Street Band, a Springsteen tribute group, and Michael Dutra, whose act is devoted to another New Jersey musical legend, Frank Sinatra. Buddy Valastro, a cake maker at Carlo’s Bakery in Hoboken and a star of the reality program “Cake Boss” on TLC, has been hired to create a New Jersey-themed cake for the celebration to be unveiled at the inaugural party. In an effort to reduce expenses and to donate as much to charity as possible, organizers made a bold move: asking guests to pay for their own drinks once the cocktail hour and its free alcohol ends. “When people are paying $500 a ticket, they don’t want to hear that they’re going to be paying for drinks, too,” Todd Christie said. “But when you explain to them that it’s for these great causes, they get it. They don’t like it, but they get it.” N.J. set to inaugurate Chris Christie as 55th governor By Chris Megerian/Statehouse Bureau January 19, 2010, 5:00AM Republican Chris Christie will become New Jersey’s 55th governor today, taking the oath of office on a day crammed with ceremonies, rituals and personal touches. The official inauguration ceremony is in Trenton, but Newark, Christie’s birthplace and the state’s largest city, will play the starring role. The day begins with a mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the mother church for the area’s Catholic archdiocese, and ends with a big reception at the Prudential Center. Amanda Brown/The Star-LedgerChris Christie will be inaugurated today as New Jersey's 55th governor in Trenton. The inaugural ceremonies are scheduled to run all day, concluded by a reception at the Prudential Center in Newark. MORE COVERAGE • N.J. Gov.-elect Chris Christie ready to take charge • Paul Mulshine: Springsteen should stay out of politics: A conversation with the real boss • Full Star-Ledger coverage of the N.J. Governor-elect Chris Christie transition Christie, who prefers informality and has chafed when staff and friends call him “governor,” said today’s pomp and circumstance will help cement the reality of his new role. “It’s an important moment that cloaks the regular human being with a certain sense and appearance of authority,” he said in a recent interview. “One of the things that makes the inaugural ceremony not only nice, but important and necessary, is that it helps you to make that transformation. Symbolism and ceremonies are important in governance.” For the Cathedral Basilica, it will be its first inaugural mass, although a prayer service was held for Gov. Christie Whitman in 1998. “In view of the huge problems we face in the state, I thought asking the Lord’s blessing was a good idea,” Archbishop John Myers said. Planners expect 1,500 people to gather under the church’s soaring ceilings today for the invitation-only mass, which will be led by about 30 bishops and priests. Christie’s oldest son Andrew, 16, will read a passage during the service. “It is an implicit prayer for all of our public officials to have the gift of wisdom,” Myers said. Although he was raised in suburban Livingston, Christie stressed his Newark roots during the campaign and advanced an urban agenda. His first stop after his victory was at the Robert Treat Academy, a charter school run by Newark Democratic powerbroker Steve Adubato Sr. “Newark was rediscovered as the state’s premiere city for grand civic events about 10 years ago,” said Clement Price, a history professor at Rutgers University-Newark. “A lot of this has to do with a transformation in the thinking about the city with every governor since Tom Kean.” Kean, a Christie mentor, was lauded for focusing attention on the state’s struggling cities. Christie is aiming for a populist touch at tonight’s reception. Tuxedos are being eschewed in favor of suits and ties — the incoming governor thought too much pomp would be insensitive to residents reeling from the recession. Leftover food will be delivered to local shelters, and Red Cross volunteers will be accepting donations for relief efforts in Haiti. Despite several overtures from Christie, Bruce Springsteen — his favorite rocker and an avowed liberal — will not be there, but a cover band will be one of several playing at the event. It will also feature different cuisine from around the state. Hobby’s Delicatessen in Newark is providing 600 sandwiches: corned beef, pastrami, and roasted turkey with Russian dressing and coleslaw. Hobby’s co-owner Michael Brummer said Christie ate often at his deli while U.S. attorney. He hopes the inauguration draws more people to his beloved city. “Newark has a very bad reputation,” he said. “But when people come down here and see the city, they’re surprised.”
Read morning articles - The Record, Star Ledger, My Central New Jersey, New York Times
Christie hoping to cut teachers union's clout Tuesday, January 19, 2010 By CHARLES STILE Governor-elect Chris Christie's bull-in-a-china-shop battle with the New Jersey Education Association, whose 200,000-strong militia of teachers makes it the state's most powerful union, has been a colorful sideshow to this transition period. Governor-elect Chris Christie, who will take office today, is taking a gamble by challenging the New Jersey Education Association. But when Christie formally becomes New Jersey's 55th governor today, the skirmish will morph into something else — the organizing principle of Christie's new administration. Christie has taken a bold, strategic gamble by taking on the biggest guy on West State Street. But if he is able to force NJEA to buckle, then the rest of Trenton's high council of special interests – state worker unions, politically connected hospitals, business groups — will follow. Those special interests will read the writing on the wall and negotiate an early peace rather than slug it out in the Legislature or in the court of public opinion, where they are not that popular, anyway. That could open the door to pension reform, municipal consolidation and a whole host of other issues that have languished for years. "If he is to slay this dragon early, his credibility increases enormously and other labor unions … and the entire bureaucracy will be trembling," said Brigid Harrison, a political scientist at Montclair State University. And by taking them on early, Harrison said, any negative fallout could be forgotten by the time he seeks reelection in 2012. To make it work, the NJEA will have to give ground on line-in-the-sand issues they have fiercely opposed for decades, such as taxpayer-subsidized "vouchers" to help pay a city student's tuition at a private school. Christie also wants teachers to compete for merit pay increases. He has called for reforming teacher tenure, which makes it difficult for schools to prune incompetent teachers from the payroll. And he wants to increase the number of charter schools, an effort that stalled under Governor Corzine. In an interview last Friday, Christie dismissed the bellwether theory, although he said that if it does have that effect, all the better. His attack reflects the long-simmering sentiments of social conservatives, suburban parents and now a growing chorus of African-American leaders that the union power has kept city children trapped in failed public schools. Reforms, Christie said, would give many aspiring students and their middle-class parents an escape and a choice. "I am a kid of the city and my parents made the determination to move me out of that city when I got to be school age because they didn't want me to go school in Newark," Christie said. "And they borrowed from both of their parents to be able to buy this little house in Livingston because my parents heard it was the best public school system in Essex County. And I think about it, how would my life be different if they hadn't?" Christie's choice for education commissioner, former Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler, was painted as too conservative during failed bids for governor in 2001 and 2005, when he was an ardent champion of vouchers and school reform. But the political curve has turned the debate full square into the mainstream, and some of those same ideas are now embraced by people like the Rev. Reginald T. Jackson, director of the Black Ministers Council, and Newark Mayor Cory Booker, a champion of merit pay. And legislation that would award corporations tax credits for subsidizing "scholarships" to private schools is co-sponsored by Sen. Ray Lesniak of Union County, one of the Legislature's leading liberals. "To me, government is behind the curve on this," Christie said. "I think I would just be dragging government to the party." So far, the union has held its powder, but it's clear that they are getting antsy — and tired of being picked on. They are a sleeping giant, pumping millions into political campaigns for decades, giving particular preference to incumbents. Their members are in every nook and cranny of the state. They are well-informed of the issues – and can easily be mobilized into an Election Day get-out-the-vote army. That helps explain why the union has successfully killed or blunted most major education reforms. "At some point, sit down and talk with us rather than talk at us," said Steve Wollmer, the union's communication director. "Settling political scores is not governing." Wollmer sounded as if he was in the early stages of boiling down the union's 4-inch-thick binder of policy papers into sound bites and sharp retorts. There has been no link, he said, between student achievement and merit pay. A limited pot of merit-pay money will end the collaborative spirit essential to teaching, turning colleague into a competitor for a limited supply of cash. And while the union is willing to discuss ways to improve the tenure process, it will fiercely oppose any plan that strips teachers "of their due process rights." Other Trenton veterans are puzzled by the Christie approach and say it amounts to a big gamble. Other unions, for example, are certainly expected to mobilize and stall his efforts in the Legislature, where they have devoted allies. "An injury to one is an injury to all," said Bob Master, regional director of the Communications Workers of America, the largest state worker union. But the larger danger is a failure to wrest any reforms. A stalemate is status quo, and in Christie vernacular, status quo is failure. "They [the public] just want to see something," Christie said. "I think you've got to also keep that in mind as you're developing policy. Some things have to be baby steps of things that improve just to show progress to give those guys some encouragement." E-mail: stile@northjersey.com January 18, 2010 Inaugural events expected to draw large number of Central Jerseyans By MICHAEL DEAK and GENE RACZ STAFF WRITERS When President Barack Obama was sworn into office a year ago, thousands went to Washington, D.C., to witness the historic events and celebrate the first Democratic president in eight years. Tuesday's inauguration here of Chris Christie as the state's 55th governor, coming at a time when the state is facing a fiscal crisis, will be relatively low-key. And Christie has decided to return to his hometown of Newark for two events to mark the day. The day's events will begin with an 8 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark. The final event will be a cocktail reception from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Prudential Center also in Newark. Sandwiched between the two events will be the actual inauguration where Christie and Lieutenant Governor-elect Kim Guadagno will take their oaths of office at noon in the Trenton War Memorial. Attendance at the church service and the inauguration are by invitation only because of limited seating. Tickets to the cocktail reception at the Prudential Center are $500. Enthusiasm for the day's activities varies on geographical political leanings. Traditionally Republican Somerset County will send a legion to this city and to Newark while Middlesex County, dominated by Democrats, will be sending fewer. "It's an exhilarating experience, and it doesn't matter what party is being sworn in to power. I just think it's a compelling demonstration of democracy and I enjoy it very, very much. I'm looking forward to being there," Somerset County Freeholder Director Jack Ciattarelli who will be attending the inauguration. Because of his children's activities, Ciattarelli and his wife Melinda only will be attending the inauguration itself. Somerset County Republican Chairman Dale Florio said he wants to attend all three major events. "I hope to go to the swearing in at noon, and also the evening reception, which will be a little bit different than past inaugural social events," Florio said. "It will be a bit low key in keeping with the times and quite frankly to be able to accommodate all the folks that want to go, it's just easier to do a larger reception than trying to do a black tie dinner." Middlesex County Republican Chairman Joe Leo said he will be attending the church service as well as the swearing-in ceremony here. Leo added that the $500 price tag for the evening gala may cause him to balk. One Republican in Middlesex County who will be attending the gala at the Prudential Center will be Brian R. Hackett, a 21-year-old from Monroe who made an unsuccessful run in the GOP primary in last year's Assembly race in the 14th District. Hackett currently serves as the campaign manager for two candidates from the Monroe Township Republican Organization ? his father, Keith B. Hackett, who is running for Middlesex County Sheriff and Harold V. Kane, who is running for Middlesex County Clerk. "It's nice that (the gala) is not going be a black-tie affair like so many of them usually are," said Hackett. "The way the economy is, it's preferable if people don't have to get tuxedos and spend all this money. I really appreciate the way they structured it." Rabbi Randi Musnitsky of Temple Har Shalom in Warren will deliver a prayer at the evening reception. Former Bernards Township mayor Al LiCata, executive director of the New Jersey Conference of Mayors, said his organization will be hosting a reception following the inauguration. One prominent Democrat who will be attending the evening gala will be Woodbridge Mayor John McCormac who was one of 10 persons chosen by Christie for his transition team. "I'm the mayor of the sixth biggest town in state, and I should be at the inauguration to make contact with the people whose decisions affect our township," said McCormac. He added that the celebration by the Republicans come at a time when there is a sense of apprehension among Trenton politicians who know major issues, especially fiscal, need to be addressed. "They know they're walking into a time bomb," McCormac said. Both Florio and Ciattarelli said they are anticipating what Christie will say in his inauguration speech. "I certainly would hope to hear some broad themes of getting our house in order, continuing to sound the message that we've gone too far in terms of expanding government and that the only way we can get ourselves back on track is if everybody -- people in the private sector, people in the public sector -- all pitch in and are willing to help. This has to be a statewide effort," Florio said. "There are going to be people that are going to naturally reject that, but quite frankly the financial stability of the state really depends on everybody recognizing that everybody has a stake in this." "What I'm looking for in him is boldness and specificity," Ciattarelli said. "I think people are much more intelligent today about idle talk and they know that only specific solutions are going to solve our problems. So in that sense I just have a feeling he is not going to let us down." Martin Bricketto contributed to the article. Michael Deak: 908-243-6611; mdeak@MyCentralJersey.com Gene Racz: 732-565-7306; gracz@MyCentralJersey.com Newark cathedral, businesses prepare N.J. Gov.-elect Christie inaugural events By Chris Megerian/Statehouse Bureau January 18, 2010, 4:24PM NEWARK – The workers at Hobby’s Delicatessen started this morning assembling corned beef and pastrami on rolls. By Tuesday night, there will be 600 sandwiches lined up for Gov.-elect Chris Christie’s inaugural ball at the Prudential Center in Newark. “We have never worked on an inaugural event before,” said Hobby’s co-owner Michael Brummer. “We are honored to be a part of it.” Hobby’s is one of several restaurants around the state contributing food to the inaugural ball, the last of three events tomorrow marking Christie’s inauguration as the state’s 55th governor. Matt Rainey/The Star-LedgerSteve Adubato Sr., left, greets NJ Governor-elect Chris Christie as he arrives at an event at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark. Christie will attend an inauguration Mass at the cathedral on Tuesday. Preparations were in full swing today. At the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Newark, where a mass will be held tomorrow morning, workers spent hours assembling floral arrangements and television crews laid wires across the marble floor. About 30 bishops and priests will participate in the services, and copies of the Bible for those leading the Mass were already set aside and opened to the appropriate passages. The church has never held an inaugural mass before in its 55-year history. MORE COVERAGE • N.J. Gov.-elect Chris Christie ready to take charge • Paul Mulshine: Springsteen should stay out of politics: A conversation with the real boss • Full Star-Ledger coverage of the N.J. Governor-elect Chris Christie transition “In view of the huge problems we face in the state, I thought asking the Lord’s blessing was a good idea,” Archbishop John Myers said. After the mass, Christie will be whisked south to Trenton for the official swearing-in ceremony. In a departure from tradition, Christie and outgoing Gov. Jon Corzine will not make the traditional walk from the Statehouse to the War Memorial for the ceremony. “We structured the inauguration in a way that would permit us to have a great day and permit everyone else to enjoy the day the way they wanted to enjoy it,” Christie said. During his inaugural address, Christie plans to broadly outline his response to the state’s fiscal crisis. "This job is about renewing people's confidence in the fact that government can actually work," he said. "That's the way I see the challenge now." After the ceremony, the day’s events will continue at the Prudential Center. Despite several overtures from Christie’s transition team, Jersey rock legend Bruce Springsteen — Christie’s favorite musician and an avowed liberal — will not be making an appearance. Instead, a cover band will play at the event. Other scheduled performers include Newark Boys Chorus, a teen jazz trio and Michael Dutra, a Sinatra tribute act. Statehouse Bureau reporter Claire Heininger contributed to this report. ________________________________________ NY TIMES - January 19, 2010 For Christie, an Inauguration on a Budget By DAVID KOCIENIEWSKI He made his name by indicting New Jersey politicians. He rose to the apex of the state’s political hierarchy by warning residents of the painful measures he would have to impose to bring New Jersey back from the brink of financial ruin. But when he is sworn in as the state’s 55th governor on Tuesday, Christopher J. Christie, 47, will ask taxpayers and elected officials alike to join him in rebuilding a state government besieged by budget shortfalls, a culture of corruption and crippling public debt. Since defeating Gov. Jon S. Corzine in November, Mr. Christie has struck an uncharacteristically self-effacing tone when speaking about being sworn in as governor, and the events planned for his inauguration reflect a similar modesty. Rather than surround himself with celebrities or political luminaries, Mr. Christie has chosen to celebrate the accomplishments of people he calls New Jersey heroes: volunteers who run soup kitchens and food banks and children who participate in a youth hockey program in Newark. “This isn’t about big names or political celebrities or glamorous symbolism,” said Maria Comella, his spokeswoman. “It’s about the working people and the families of New Jersey.” After talking for years about the corrosive influence of money on New Jersey politics, Mr. Christie agreed to have his inaugural committee abide by the state’s recently enacted ban on so-called pay-to-play practices and restricted vendors who do business with the state from making contributions of more than $300 for the event. And acknowledging the tough economic times that many state residents are enduring, Mr. Christie’s celebration at the Prudential Center in Newark will be pared down to look less like a black-tie gala than a street fair held indoors. Business attire will be encouraged rather than formalwear, and the festivities, which will have a “Taste of New Jersey” theme, will feature food stations from an assortment of caterers and restaurants from around the state. Most of the proceeds from the $500-a-ticket event will be donated to charities. “When people are worrying about their jobs and their taxes, it just would have felt wrong to have people in tuxedos and gowns,” Todd J. Christie, the governor-elect’s brother and the chairman of his inaugural committee, said in an interview last month. “So this will be a way to celebrate some of the great things about New Jersey.” Given Mr. Christie’s promise to “turn Trenton upside down” in his quest to close a budget gap of $8 billion, the celebration on Tuesday may seem like a momentary oasis of calm. Much of the new governor’s day will be spent in Mr. Christie’s hometown of Newark, starting with an 8 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart to be said by Archbishop John J. Myers. Mr. Christie, a Roman Catholic, will be accompanied by his wife, Mary Pat, and their four children. The swearing-in ceremony, scheduled for 11:30 a.m. at the Trenton War Memorial, will be the only major event to be held in the state’s capital. It will be filled with faces familiar to Mr. Christie and his lieutenant governor, Kim Guadagno. An a cappella rendition of the national anthem will be performed by Pat Guadagno and the Candle Brothers, a local group. Mr. Guadagno is Ms. Guadagno’s brother-in-law. The oath of office will be administered by Stuart J. Rabner, the chief justice of the state’s Supreme Court, who once worked for Mr. Christie and alongside Ms. Guadagno when Mr. Christie was the United States attorney in Newark. Mr. Christie has released few details of his inaugural address, which Ms. Comella said was being fine-tuned over the holiday weekend. But aides say that, befitting the occasion, it would include none of the stinging criticism that Mr. Christie has leveled at state officials in recent weeks. Mr. Christie, for example, lashed out at his predecessor when Mr. Corzine approved $120 million in aid to the state’s distressed cities. “Seriously, there’s eight days left,” Mr. Christie said. “Can he please keep his hand out of the cash register for the next eight days?” Instead, Mr. Christie is expected to ask New Jersey residents to unite behind him by committing to community service and shared sacrifice. After the swearing-in, Mr. Christie will travel to Newark, where he will stop by an early-evening pizza party for participants in the Newark youth hockey program before moving on to host his own celebration at the Prudential Center beginning at 6 p.m. Mr. Christie’s brother, Todd, tried to lure Bruce Springsteen — New Jersey’s rock star laureate and the Republican governor-elect’s favorite musician — to perform by offering to make a donation to a charity of Mr. Springsteen’s choice. But Mr. Springsteen, who has performed at benefits for an assortment of Democrats in recent years, declined. Instead, the inaugural lineup will include a set by the B Street Band, a Springsteen tribute group, and Michael Dutra, whose act is devoted to another New Jersey musical legend, Frank Sinatra. Buddy Valastro, a cake maker at Carlo’s Bakery in Hoboken and a star of the reality program “Cake Boss” on TLC, has been hired to create a New Jersey-themed cake for the celebration to be unveiled at the inaugural party. In an effort to reduce expenses and to donate as much to charity as possible, organizers made a bold move: asking guests to pay for their own drinks once the cocktail hour and its free alcohol ends. “When people are paying $500 a ticket, they don’t want to hear that they’re going to be paying for drinks, too,” Todd Christie said. “But when you explain to them that it’s for these great causes, they get it. They don’t like it, but they get it.” N.J. set to inaugurate Chris Christie as 55th governor By Chris Megerian/Statehouse Bureau January 19, 2010, 5:00AM Republican Chris Christie will become New Jersey’s 55th governor today, taking the oath of office on a day crammed with ceremonies, rituals and personal touches. The official inauguration ceremony is in Trenton, but Newark, Christie’s birthplace and the state’s largest city, will play the starring role. The day begins with a mass at the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, the mother church for the area’s Catholic archdiocese, and ends with a big reception at the Prudential Center. Amanda Brown/The Star-LedgerChris Christie will be inaugurated today as New Jersey's 55th governor in Trenton. The inaugural ceremonies are scheduled to run all day, concluded by a reception at the Prudential Center in Newark. MORE COVERAGE • N.J. Gov.-elect Chris Christie ready to take charge • Paul Mulshine: Springsteen should stay out of politics: A conversation with the real boss • Full Star-Ledger coverage of the N.J. Governor-elect Chris Christie transition Christie, who prefers informality and has chafed when staff and friends call him “governor,” said today’s pomp and circumstance will help cement the reality of his new role. “It’s an important moment that cloaks the regular human being with a certain sense and appearance of authority,” he said in a recent interview. “One of the things that makes the inaugural ceremony not only nice, but important and necessary, is that it helps you to make that transformation. Symbolism and ceremonies are important in governance.” For the Cathedral Basilica, it will be its first inaugural mass, although a prayer service was held for Gov. Christie Whitman in 1998. “In view of the huge problems we face in the state, I thought asking the Lord’s blessing was a good idea,” Archbishop John Myers said. Planners expect 1,500 people to gather under the church’s soaring ceilings today for the invitation-only mass, which will be led by about 30 bishops and priests. Christie’s oldest son Andrew, 16, will read a passage during the service. “It is an implicit prayer for all of our public officials to have the gift of wisdom,” Myers said. Although he was raised in suburban Livingston, Christie stressed his Newark roots during the campaign and advanced an urban agenda. His first stop after his victory was at the Robert Treat Academy, a charter school run by Newark Democratic powerbroker Steve Adubato Sr. “Newark was rediscovered as the state’s premiere city for grand civic events about 10 years ago,” said Clement Price, a history professor at Rutgers University-Newark. “A lot of this has to do with a transformation in the thinking about the city with every governor since Tom Kean.” Kean, a Christie mentor, was lauded for focusing attention on the state’s struggling cities. Christie is aiming for a populist touch at tonight’s reception. Tuxedos are being eschewed in favor of suits and ties — the incoming governor thought too much pomp would be insensitive to residents reeling from the recession. Leftover food will be delivered to local shelters, and Red Cross volunteers will be accepting donations for relief efforts in Haiti. Despite several overtures from Christie, Bruce Springsteen — his favorite rocker and an avowed liberal — will not be there, but a cover band will be one of several playing at the event. It will also feature different cuisine from around the state. Hobby’s Delicatessen in Newark is providing 600 sandwiches: corned beef, pastrami, and roasted turkey with Russian dressing and coleslaw. Hobby’s co-owner Michael Brummer said Christie ate often at his deli while U.S. attorney. He hopes the inauguration draws more people to his beloved city. “Newark has a very bad reputation,” he said. “But when people come down here and see the city, they’re surprised.”
