Christie: Camden should run itself

By: Phil Gregory

As a financially distressed city in 2002, the state began supervising the city’s operations and at the same time provided additional funding. Governor-elect Chris Christie wants that to end.

By Phil Gregoryphilgregorynews@gmail.com

New Jersey’s next Governor says state control of Camden has been a failure. As a financially distressed city in 2002, the state began supervising the city’s operations and at the same time provided additional funding. Governor-elect Chris Christie wants that to end.

Listen:
[audio: 091109pgcamden.mp3]

Christie says he’d like to return control of Camden to the city as quickly as possible.

Christie: I believe that state control of Camden by and large has been a failure and that we need now to move forward to a time when the people that Camden elect and they just elected Senator Redd as the mayor. I think she should have the opportunity to run the city and make the decisions the people elected her.

Christie says he won’t impose a solution. He wants to meet with Mayor-elect Redd to talk about what she believes would a realistic timetable to return control to the city. Christie says some statutory requirements of the Camden recovery bill may require the state to maintain control for a while longer.