Barbara Buono, N.J. Gov. Chris Christie's Electoral Opponent, Says He Runs A Bully State - NYDN

Barbara Buono, N.J. Gov. Chris Christie's electoral opponent, says he runs a bully state
BY LESLIE LARSON AND CORKY SIEMASZKO / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
PUBLISHED: MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 2014, 10:23 AM
UPDATED: MONDAY, JANUARY 20, 2014, 9:40 PM

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The Democrat Chris Christie squashed during his reelection romp said she believes the Hoboken mayor’s claim that the governor’s No. 2 put the squeeze on her. Barbara Buono said Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno is “very heavy-handed” and an enforcer in an administration that fosters “a culture of fear in Trenton.”

“They don’t hesitate to smear and bully people,” Buono told the Daily News. “Kim Guadagno has a history of calling into question the integrity of people who are just trying to do their jobs.”

As an example, Buono cited Guadagno’s public claim in 2011 that a state-funded arts group might have fraudulently doled out $300,000 in grants — a charge that was later refuted after a seven-month investigation.

Asked if this was just griping from a failed gubernatorial candidate who lost to Christie in November by a landslide, Buono chuckled. “If I were the only person calling them bullies it would be one thing,” she said. “But now we’ve had three mayors speaking out about how the Christie people operate.”

The three — all Democrats — are the mayors of Fort Lee, Jersey City and Hoboken.

Christie, who was back in the Garden State Monday after a weekend of fund-raising in Florida, did not comment on the latest developments in a scandal that has dimmed his presidential prospects. But a spokesman for the Republican governor dismissed Buono’s “sour grapes.”

“There’s no more bitter beverage than wine made from sour grapes, and after her 22-point loss last year, it appears Barbara Buono has sipped liberally from that cup,” Christie spokesman Colin Reed said.

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And this...

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Zimmer’s account was backed Monday by Hoboken City Councilman Ravinder Bhalla. “I recall having a conversation with her where she complained about Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno strong-arming her about advancing the Rockefeller Group’s project ... and how she thought it was inappropriate,” he said. “That was in June of last year.”

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