Chris Christie’s legacy of disconnection
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie arrived at Trenton Central High School in early December, 2016.
Christie had refused previous invitations to visit the famous school as students and faculty complained about a building deterioration that included an infestation of mice, crumbling walls and water leaks. Meanwhile, Christie had withdrawn money promised for a new high school as shareholders debated repair or demolition followed by a rebuild.
Christie eventually offered millions for renovation. However, bad press from Bridgegate forged a public relations strategy as Christie gifted city students an estimated $155 million new school.
On this sun-splashed day in December, Christie slipped out of his vehicle. The governor then strode onto the new school construction site with a rewritten script about education initiatives spawned by the Schools Development Authority.
Press conference guests entered through a back gate off Quinton Ave. as a young woman distributed protective hard hats, standard head gear for construction sites.
In this moment, the essence of this departing governor materialized as Christie refused the head accessory.
The Gov. Chris Christie political tombstone will read “He had a hard head.”
Christie rarely seemed a part of us, especially people who struggle to make ends meet.
Christie seemed aloof, almost as if he had disconnected from his past, perhaps willing to admit and discuss his mother’s side of the family off-theboat in Ellis Island experience but never connecting those hard times with current difficult times of others.
An introduction for “Chris Christie, The Inside Story of His Rise to Power” penned by Bob Ingle and Michael Symons offered.
“There is a self-assuredness about Chris Christie that could give the impression he never failed at anything, that the world is at his command, nothing stands between him and his goals, that he grew up wealthy among people accustomed to having their way and buying whatever influence was needed. -- That’s a long way from the truth.”
No doubt. The Christies worked hard and achieved success in this nation that offers opportunities for reversal of dire circumstances.
Christie owned a great story that could have impacted hundreds of thousands of young people, especially in urban or rural enclaves.
He rarely allowed for close encounters, rarely apologized for mistakes of behavior or his patented verbal assaults on critics.
As Christie passes state leadership to his successor, Phil Murphy, hope that this new governor can put on a hard hat and join us in working toward unity, prosperity and safety.