A series of meetings scheduled between top New Jersey officials and the Jersey City mayor were subsequently canceled, and Mayor Steve Fulop believes that might have been done as political retribution for his not endorsing the governor’s reelection bid.
Documents show that Bridget Anne Kelly, the Christie aide closely involved with the lane closures on the George Washington Bridge, congratulated Fulop for his election in late June of last year; she subsequently arranged for him to meet with five state commissioners and the Port Authority’s deputy executive director on July 23, according to the Wall Street Journal. A few weeks later, from July 16 to July 22, all six officials canceled their meetings with Fulop.
The mayor said he informed the Christie camp that he would not endorse the Republican governor on or before July 18. A month later, Fulop expressed his suspicion of politics having played a role in the cancellations.
“I am not sure if it is a coincidence that your office canceled a meeting several weeks back that seemed to be simultaneous to other political conversations,” he wrote in August. “Prior to that you were always very responsive and I sincerely hope the two issues are not related.”