Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno strongly denied Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer's claims as "false" and "illogical" on Monday, the day before Christie's second-term inauguration. And Marc Ferzan, executive director of the Governor's Office of Recovery and Rebuilding, told reporters in a conference call that Hoboken has been treated no differently than other cities with respect to storm relief funds.
Zimmer said on Saturday that Guadagno pulled her aside at a supermarket opening in May and said Hoboken's storm recovery funds hinged on Zimmer's approval of a commercial development whose lawyer and lobbyist are close to the governor. On Sunday, Zimmer told CNN the ultimatum was delivered on behalf of the governor, a possible 2016 presidential candidate.
Guadagno said the mayor's description of the conversation "is not only false but is illogical and does not withstand scrutiny when all of the facts are examined."
"Any suggestion that Sandy funds were tied to the approval of any project in New Jersey is completely false," she said.
Zimmer met with investigators from the U.S. attorney's office for several hours on Sunday and gave them journal entries she said were made at the time of the conversation. She also has offered to take a lie-detector test or testify under oath.
Ferzan, during his conference call, declined to comment on the "back and forth" regarding Zimmer's claims. But he said claims that Hoboken received less than its fair share of disaster aid were a "mischaracterization."
Superstorm Sandy, which was spawned in October 2012 when Hurricane Sandy merged with two other weather systems, killed people in 10 states, but New Jersey and New York were hit the hardest. It's New Jersey's worst natural disaster.
Ferzan said the state has received more than $14 billion in requests statewide for Hazard Mitigation grants but has only about $300 million to disburse. Christie administration officials have said Hoboken has requested more than $100 million in such funding.
"Obviously $300 million versus $14 billion, that's a big delta," Ferzan said.
He said the state has tried to prioritize its funding and programs to address the "communities most in need" and purposely directed most of the recovery funding toward homeowners, business owners and renters.
Federal authorities and state legislators are investigating another scandal involving the Christie administration - allegations that the governor's top aides orchestrated traffic jams in a northern New Jersey town, Fort Lee, by blocking off lanes to the George Washington Bridge, possibly to punish the town's Democratic mayor for not endorsing the governor for re-election.
Assemblyman John Wisniewski, a former chairman of the state Democratic Party who is leading a legislative probe, said the new allegations may be part of a pattern of abuses of power in the Christie administration and would be treated seriously.
Republicans called the investigation partisan and called on Wisniewski to step down. Wisniewski said the investigation by his bipartisan panel would continue.
The lieutenant governor did not take questions on Monday.
Community Affairs Commissioner Richard Constable, a member of Christie's cabinet and a second official Zimmer said repeated the Sandy threat at a separate event in May, also issued a statement denying the mayor's claims.
"Mayor Zimmer's allegations are patently false and absurd on their face," Constable said through a spokeswoman.
Following the Lieutenant Governor's Monday morning press conference, Zimmer issued the following statement:
"I am genuinely disappointed that Lieutenant Governor Guadagno has lived up to her promise that she would deny linking Hoboken's application for Sandy hazard mitigation funding with expediting a private development project," said Mayor Dawn Zimmer. "I met with the U.S. Attorney for over two hours yesterday, answered all their questions and turned over my journal in which I described my conversation with the Lieutenant Governor and Commissioner Constable. I stand by my word, remain willing to testify under oath, and I will continue to answer any questions asked of me by the U.S. Attorney's office."
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Associated Press reporter Bruce Shipkowski contributed to this report.
