Seven Jersey Shore Legislators Say Democrat Ashbritt Hearing “Tainted the Shore’s Recovery with Politics”
By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
“Blue” Jersey is predominantly red at the Jersey Shore, Save Jerseyans, and the mostly-Republican legislative delegations representing those counties were less than pleased in the wake of Friday’s joint legislative Ashbritt contract hearing.
The sentiments of the six Assemblymen quoted below echo those of a fired up Sen. Joe Kyrillos (R-Monmouth)…
Assemblyman Dave Rible (R-Monmouth and Ocean):
While the Democrats say that politics had nothing to do with today’s hearing, it is crystal clear that is exactly what their intention was In the immediate aftermath of this crisis, Governor Christie made an informed and swift decision offering towns an option as to how to clean up their debris. Many communities along the Shore were in shambles and people were looking for guidance as to where to begin digging out of this catastrophe.
“The Democrats are ‘Monday Morning’ quarterbacking one of the options that was available, but not mandated. At the end of the day, communities were cleaned in a timely and efficient way. It’s a lot easier criticizing decisions four months after the fact than making real time decisions. What happened to the bipartisanship that was pledged?”
Assemblyman John Amodeo (R-Atlantic):
Superstorm Sandy was immense and created an unprecedented challenge for our state, including how to remove incredible amounts of debris. Governor Christie showed leadership, acted decisively and responsibly to provide local communities an option to start their clean up immediately and put people’s lives back together as quickly as possible.
AshBritt’s performance has been remarkable and it should not be lost that they efforts provided jobs to New Jersey contractors.
I have met with many local officials who retained AshBritt and have not heard one complaint from anyone in Sandy-ravaged communities who can speak with authority on the subject.
The only objections come from those in Trenton searching for a political platform.”
Assemblywoman Mary Pat Angelini (R-Monmouth):
There is no place for partisan politics when our communities recover from the worst natural disaster of our generation. The Christie administration’s rapid response removed mountains of debris as quickly as possible with responsible protections for taxpayers. Continuing to practice the stale politics of the past will slow down our recovery and prevent our state from moving forward.”
Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande (R-Monmouth):
Superstorm Sandy created plenty of legitimate issues for our state to work on without having to resort to a political witch hunt in search of a problem during an election year. While our communities will deal with the aftermath of this storm for several years, some Trenton politicians couldn’t wait a few months before throwing a partisan punch aimed directly at folks who are still reeling from Sandy’s blow. Perhaps they would like to come to the shore to help rebuild, instead of sitting in Trenton throwing political darts.”
Assemblywoman Amy Handlin (R-Monmouth):
Sandy’s carnage left unimaginable debris in our state and because of Governor Christie more than 8 million cubic yards – a volume that boggles the mind – have been removed from our communities within 100 days. Partisan objections to this contract, which was competitively-bid to a company that by all accounts has performed exceedingly well, are arguments for a slower recovery.
“Those who actually suffered through Sandy have had more than enough storms in their lifetime without having to deal with a pointless political firestorm.”
Assemblyman Declan O’Scanlon (R-Monmouth):
We represent towns that were among the hardest hit by Sandy and during those initial days of complete and total insanity, local officials viewed the AshBritt contract as a godsend because it offered a quick option to get rid of massive amounts of debris. New Jersey’s mayors are not shy to criticize and I have not met one who has not been absolutely thrilled with AshBritt’s performance.
“The company has an extensive track record of obtaining full reimbursement from the federal government and when our restoration is complete, the only ones with a mess to clean up will be the politicians who tainted the shore’s recovery with politics.”
