TRENTON — A Democratic lawmaker is questioning why both Gov. Chris Christie and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno are out of state at the same time, leaving Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) as the state's acting governor during a blizzard that paralyzed the state. "We clearly made a mistake if we created the office lieutenant governor and wasted money if...
Gov. Chris Christie speaks at a press conference earlier this month in Trenton alongside Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno in this file photo.TRENTON — A Democratic lawmaker is questioning why both Gov. Chris Christie and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno are out of state at the same time, leaving Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) as the state's acting governor during a blizzard that paralyzed the state.
"We clearly made a mistake if we created the office lieutenant governor and wasted money if the lieutenant governor is not going to be here when the governor is out of state," said state Sen. Raymond Lesniak (D-Union). "It's being handled very well by Sen. Sweeney, but you have to really question the purpose of the office."
Christie in on vacation with his family at Disney World in Florida, while Guadagno is with her family in Mexico, Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak said. Sunday, hours after taking the oath to become acting governor, Sweeney declared a state of emergency.
"It's a big snow, definitely, but the world is not coming to an end," said Drewniak. "We are a northeastern state and we get snow - sometimes lots of it like this - and we will get through it just as we always do."
Drewniak noted Guadagno is paid in her capacity as secretary of state, not for being Lieutenant governor. She makes $141,000 a year in that cabinet position, which already existed in previous administrations.
Voters approved a constitutional amendment creating the office of lieutenant governor in 2005, but the office did not exist until January, when Guadagno was sworn in.
Lawmakers decided to put the question on the ballot after former Gov. Jim McGreevey announced his impending resignation that made then-Senate President Richard Codey (D-Essex) governor for 14 months.
After former Gov. Christie Whitman resigned to become EPA administrator in January 2001, former Senate President Donald DiFrancesco, a Republican, served as governor until January 2002.
Some Democrats who sponsored the bill to create the ballot question, however, saw nothing wrong with Christie and Guadagno being out of state at the same time. The purpose, they said, was to avoid having a long-term governor who also controls the state Senate, concentrating too much power in the hands of one official.
"The real purpose of the law was to avoid that situation where you have one person controlling two-thirds of the government," said Assemblyman John McKeon (D-Essex), one of the sponsors. "I would imagine the governor and lieutenant governor will compare notes and say 'This is something we should try to avoid in the future and maybe we'll coordinate better,' but I'm not overly critical, especially during the holiday week."
Sweeney, for his part, would not criticize the Republicans either.
"It's easy to criticize. I'm not going to do that. It happened. There was a scheduling conflict," said Sweeney, who noted he won't use any of his temporary executive powers to do anything Christie would not have done. "I am sure for the governor, this was not the ideal situation for him, me being a Democrat him being a Republican."
Lesniak, who is also in Florida, said that although the arrangement may be for less than a week, either Christie or Guadagno should have been on hand to deal with the emergency.
"Thirty-one inches of snow. Hundreds of serious incidents, roads closed down, states of emergency. This is not an insignificant incident. This is serious," he said. "I think it points to a real revaluation of at least the way this office is being handled in the future."