Community Corner

UPDATE: Point Boro Mayor Says Christie "Earned Endorsement"

Schroeder, current Democrat and former Republican, endorses governor at Community Park

Point Borough Mayor William Schroeder, a Democrat, endorsed Gov. Christie's re-election bid on Monday at Community Park, Point Borough.

Schroeder said he was speaking only for himself and not on behalf of the entire Borough Council or the town when he endorsed the Republican governor's bid for reelection.

Schroeder said when the governor spoke at Community Park earlier today, he turned to the mayor and said "Thank you."

"I said, 'You've earned it,' " Schroeder said in a telephone interview Monday afternoon. "This was my way of thanking him."

The mayor said he is "thanking" the governor and his staff for having an "open door" with the mayor and Borough officials as they struggle to recover from Superstorm Sandy flooding a number of low-lying parts of town.

Schroeder, who is currently serving his second stint as mayor, said he has served under several governors and this is the first time he has enjoyed a high level of access to the governor and his top officials in departments such as Community Affairs and Environmental Protection.

Schroeder said he does not expect to see state funding earmarked to help get residents back in their homes reach the Borough any sooner as a result of making the public endorsement. In fact, he does not anticipate any special treatment or favors.

"The governor's staff approached me and asked me to endorse him and I said I had no qualms about it," Schroeder said.

The mayor said he believes that during this difficult, post-Sandy time, it's important to have the governor reelected to provide consistency and to give him a chance to finish the recovery projects he's working on.

Schroeder said he has developed great relationships with Christie and his staff during the past 18 months and he wants to continue working with the same officials to help residents renovate, elevate and get back in their homes.

Schroeder, who has lived here all his life, has said many times that he has numerous constituents who are either not living in their homes at all or who are relegated to the second floors and that they need help to get their property restored.

He said he recently met with Democrat Barbara Buono, who trails Christie miserably in the polls.

"I didn't see that that relationship was one that I could put myself behind," Schroeder said.

Schroeder said he did not support Christie when he ran for governor the first time simply because he did not know him and felt that Jon Corzine should have another term as governor.

He said that after going through Superstorm Sandy with Christie and his current administration, he now feels that he knows him enough to have confidence in him continuing to serve.

Schroeder is currently a Democrat who had been a Republican a number of years ago. The only other Democrats on the current Borough Council are Chris Goss and Chris Leitner.

Schroeder had originally registered as a Democrat, when first becoming a registered voter. Then he registered as a Republican in 1991 and served two terms as a council member and one term as mayor.

"Then the Republicans wouldn't endorse me in 2002 when I ran for reelection, so I went back to being a Democrat," he said.

Schroeder spoke very briefly at the park, only stating that he is endorsing the governor's reelection bid, prompting cheers from the crowd, and then introducing him.

Schroeder, who became mayor for the second time in January 2011, did not give a reason at the park for endorsing the governor. 

Christie thanked the mayor for his endorsement.

He said when Democrats endorse him, "they are putting people before party." He said he knew it was difficult for Schroeder to cross party lines, but that he did the right thing.

"I want to thank the mayor," Christie said. "It's been a joy working with him (during the months since Sandy struck). He does a great job working with my staff."

"In Washington D.C., Democrats and Republicans barely speak to each other," Christie mentioned. "We reject that in New Jersey. Yes, we disagree. But that has got to stop when you need to get things done.

"I've got a job to do and I need to do it, that's what you expect of me," he said.

Christie also talked about the need to do more to help Sandy-flooded residents fix their homes and return to them. He said helping people do that is "a mission" he will not abandon, no matter what happens during the course of the campaign.

Christie acknowledged that many Sandy-flooded residents are still not in their homes.
 
"I know you're frustrated and you have every right to be," Christie said. He said he met a Borough family renting in Belmar and driving their children to school in Point Borough every day to help provide them with some normalcy and consistency.

(Since then, public schools in the Borough closed. The last day was Tuesday.)

"We have the boardwalks and a lot of the businesses back up and that's good news because we're stronger than the storm," Christie said, which made the crowd cheer again. 

"But we have to start rebuilding homes," he added.

He said the job of governor was "the greatest job in the world before Oct. 29. Since Oct. 29, it's no longer a job. It's a mission. A mission is something sacred, not because you want it, but because you believe in the goal of the mission."

He said recovery, rebuilding homes and businesses and restoring residents' hope and faith in government's willingness and ability "to give them a normal life again" are the three primary objectives of the post-Sandy process.

"Nothing that happens during the course of this campaign will interfere with me meeting our mission," he said. "I will get the job done."

The governor also said he plans to visit the Jersey Shore a lot this summer.

"That's the great thing about being governor," he said. "You get to go to the Shore and it passes for working. People see you at the Shore and they say, 'Oh, look, isn't he working hard?' " 

In the early part of his speech, Christie didn't miss a chance to take a shot at the Democrat-controlled state legislature.

"The Senate and Assembly are in Trenton until Thursday," Christie told the crowd gathered around the stage around him at the park on Bridge Avenue and Beaver Dam Road.

"That means, with me here, there is no adult supervision," Christie said, making the mayor and crowd laugh. Later in his speech, he said, "But after Thursday, the legislature will be gone and that's when the campaign really gets going."

The governor then greeted the crowd and took photos with some of the residents.



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