NJ-03: Gibbs hammers Richter over Christie-era veto of his former company’s Parkway contract

Gov. Chris Christie speaking at a news conference in July. Reports said he is no longer in consideration to replace sports -talk radio host Mike Francesa

MT. HOLLY, N.J. – Hostilities between NJ-03 Republican primary rivals Kate Gibbs and David Richter continued on Friday with the former accusing the latter of gross hypocrisy.

The dust-up began with Richter accusing Gibbs of tacitly support toll hikes and Gibbs countering that Richter’s former company made millions off of government transportation spending, some of the same stuff he’s presently denouncing

Gibbs, an ex-Burlington County Freeholder, also works as deputy director for the Engineers Labor-Employer Cooperative (ELEC 825).

Today, Gibbs launched a two-pronged counter-punch against Richter:

  • She says his former company – Hill International – “actively promoted and defended Project Labor Agreements (PLAs),” the controversial collective bargaining agreements which are partially responsible for New Jersey’s sky-high transportation construction and maintenance costs. The Gibbs campaign cited Hill International materials trumpeting the company’s PLA experience and, in one instance, “extensive firsthand experience with the benefits PLAs provide.”
  • Gibbs also hopped into the time machine and dug a May 2010 incident when then-Governor Chris Christie, citing what his administration believed to be an unfair price, vetoed a Hill International-Garden State Parkway contract (here are the minutes explaining the chain of events). 

“Just like David Richter’s bogus claim to have lowered the cost of infrastructure, when the facts prove his company was called out for inflating prices in an attempted taxpayer rip off, Princeton carpetbagger Richter’s newfound hatred for building trades unions doesn’t pass the smell test,” alleged Gibbs‘ Campaign Manager Angelo Lamberto.

Richter worked for the company founded by his father from 1995 to 2017 in various capacities before leaving his shortly-held CEO position amid a shareholder dispute.

Both candidates have the backing of one county GOP organization in the two-county House district; Gibbs has the line in Burlington and Richter won the convention in Ocean. The fight has been brutal and personal since day #1 with Richter dredging up Gibbs’s minor criminal record and Gibbs hammering Richter over his company’s international business dealings in Libya during Gaddafi’s reign.

Ironically? It was reported back in January that Chris Christie encouraged Richter to leave the NJ-02 race after Jeff Van Drew’s party switch; Richter subsequently entered the NJ-03 fracas but Christie denied encouraging an NJ-03 campaign.

The Staff
About The Staff 2901 Articles
SaveJersey.com's Network of Contributors keeps you up-to-date on everything worth knowing in the Garden State. You're welcome!