TRENTON, N.J. — The Christie administration withheld millions of dollars in Hurricane Sandy recovery grants from a New Jersey city because its mayor refused to sign off on a politically-connected commercial development, the mayor said Saturday.
Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer alleged that Gov. Chris Christie’s lieutenant governor and a top community development official told her funds would flow to her city if she allowed the project to move forward.
Zimmer said Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno told her in May that Sandy aid was tied to the project — a proposal from the New York City-based Rockefeller Group aimed at prime real estate in the densely populated city across the river from New York City.
Christie’s office denied the claims, calling the statements politically motivated. Spokesman Colin Reed said the administration has been helping Hoboken secure assistance since Sandy struck.
