ASBURY PARK PRESS :: MONMOUTH EDITION

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WEDNESDAY 01.27.16

Millions
for Rutgers
athletics
But the $23.8M subsidy has dropped from
its national record $47M in 2013. Page 1C

CHRIS CHRISTIE:

WANT ME TO
GO DOWN
THERE WITH
A MOP?
Governor under fire for downplaying extent of
flood damage in N.J. after historic blizzard
MICHAEL SYMONS @MICHAELSYMONS_
BOB JORDAN @BOBJORDANAPP

TRENTON - Gov. Chris Christie, cleaning up after a blizzard of words, said Tuesday he was only
joking when he raised the prospect of grabbing a mop post-snowstorm to help the Garden State
cleanup.
Rest assured, the governor told an afternoon news conference, there would be no apology for the
quip even if he was just days removed from blasting a Republican rival for making light of the
storm, which has been blamed for more than 40 deaths.
But Christie, whose scorched-earth rebukes are YouTube legend and seldom the topic of self-reflection, gave rare quarter to the North Wildwood mayor. The governor apologized for calling Patrick
Rosenello one crazy mayor for comparing damage from the blizzard to the aftermath of superstorm Sandy. See GOVERNOR, Page 6A

Assembly
a holdout
on A.C.
takeover
Speaker could derail accord set by
Christie, Senate leader, city mayor
MICHAEL SYMONS @MICHAELSYMONS_

TRENTON - Gov. Chris Christie, the state Senate

president and Atlantic Citys mayor said Tuesday they
had agreed to give the state sweeping powers over the
municipal finances of the staggering seaside resort,
but their plan already hit a snag.
The moves to stave off municipal bankruptcy need
the OK of the Legislature, but the Assembly speaker
was notably absent as the agreement was unveiled in a
Statehouse news conference held in between Christies return from New Hampshire and a campaign
fundraiser in Philadelphia.
Assembly leader Vincent Prieto, D-Hudson, who
skipped the announcement, said later he had problems
with the accord. The fact is that no one speaks for the
Assembly except for the Assembly. If the Assembly is
not involved, then there is no agreement.
Atlantic City has been struggling to reinvent itself
in the face of gaming competition in surrounding
states. Four casinos have closed, thousands of casino
See TAKEOVER, Page 4A

ROBERT SUMMERS

Mother Nature could not stop the nuptials.

How we pulled off a

wedding in a blizzard
JERRY CARINO @NJHOOPSHAVEN

BOB BIELK/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Roads in low-lying areas of Manasquan were flooded

Sunday in the wake of the weekend blizzard.

Jobs safe, for now, after absences

delay snow removal in Lakewood
SHANNON MULLEN @MULLENAPP

LAKEWOOD - No disciplinary action is being taken

for now against unionized public works employees who
failed to report for storm duty over the weekend.
Township Manager Thomas Henshaw said there
might be some ramifications at a later date, but the priority is to finish the cleanup from the epic storm, which
buried the township under 2 feet of snow.
Numerous workers didnt show up for work Saturday and Sunday, and the public works director, Alvin
Burdge, was home sick, township officials said.
With snowplows and other equipment sitting idle,
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the township had to scramble to hire private contractors to help clear streets, but come Monday many
roads remained treacherous, if not impassable.
Frustrations boiled over in the form of an online
petition demanding Burdges ouster. As of Tuesday
afternoon the petition had garnered 145 signatures.
Henshaw wouldnt comment on Burdges status Tuesday. Burdge could not be reached for comment.
The workers in question are members of Teamsters Local 97, which is in contract negotiations with
the township, but township officials and a union repSee ABSENCES, Page 13A
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VOLUME 137
NUMBER 23
SINCE 1879

Its the call no one wants to get, and just about no

one ever does.
Hello. Your wedding reception tonight is canceled.
My younger brother Joe took that call Saturday
morning, as a once-a-generation blizzard struck Hoboken full force. What happened next, thanks to the
kindness and ingenuity of dozens of people, turned a
bad day into an unforgettable one.
If there was a Wedding Hall of Fame, this would be
in it.
The reception at Jersey Citys Liberty House was
canceled (even though the flowers and cake got delivered there that morning), but the Catholic Church is
not so easily deterred. The pastor at Sts. Peter and
See WEDDING, Page 4A