Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, a Republican from Somerset County who has already announced his intention to run for governor in 2017, responded to Friday’s Bridgegate trial verdict with a promise to change Trenton’s dominant culture of corruption.
“Today is another sad day for New Jersey. Citizens deserve government that is committed to serving them, not narrow political agendas of any kind,” said Ciattarelli in a statement obtained by Save Jersey. “As Governor, I will take New Jersey in an entirely new direction and instill a culture in Trenton that focuses on people, not power, and solutions not self-interest.”
Former Christie Deputy chief of staff Bridget Kelly and former State Senator/Port Authority Executive Director Bill Baroni were convicted on all counts but both defendant plan to appeal, a process which could drag on for over a year or even longer. The charges stemmed from the events surrounding a politically-motivated closure of George Washington Bridge lanes in 2013.
Ciattarelli’s likely 2017 opponent is Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadagno.
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