Newark City Council goes after Guadagno

On the week the Chris Christie campaign opened its Newark headquarters and Republican lieutenant governor candidate Kim Guadagno told a crowd she knows what it's like to be afraid on the streets here, City Council members opened up on Christie's number two.

“I am stunned that the Monmouth County Sheriff would say she is afraid to walk our streets,” Newark Council President Mildred Crump, an ally of Gov. Jon Corzine, said in a release. “As someone running to be the next in line to lead this state, it is very disconcerting to hear that Sheriff Guadagno was apparently scared to set foot into the city when she was coming here to teach law.”

North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos ratcheted up the critique.

“The Christie campaign came to Newark to open a campaign headquarters and managed to verbalize in one sentence all that is wrong with their campaign,” Ramos said.  “It is pure hypocrisy for them to say they care about Newark and its residents in one breath and, in the next, say they are afraid to walk our streets.”

Asked by PolitickerNJ.com for her opinion on the work of Mayor Cory Booker, Guadagno said, "He's doing the best job under the circumstances," citing 14% unemployment in the Brick City, and reiterating her belief that to walk from the law school where she teaches to the area of Broad Street is "a very dangerous thing to do."

But West Ward Councilman Ronald C. Rice panned the Monmouth County Sheriff's injection of the fear factor into her public size-up of the Newark experience. 

“After working her day job and feeling afraid on the streets in Newark, Kim Guadagno would retreat to the safe confines of her home outside of urban New Jersey," said Rice. “We local leaders, together with Governor Corzine, choose to stay and fight for better education and new schools, more job training and re-entry from prison programs, more recreation and parent support initiatives. Some choose to cut and run from challenges and some, like our Governor, choose to stay and fight for all New Jersey residents, urban and suburban.”

“The people of Newark are not a photo opportunity,” added Newark Councilman at Large Carlos Gonzalez. “We are working every day to make our resident’s lives better, make our streets safer, and improve on our children’s educations.  Christie would refuse the President’s economic stimulus, driving up our property taxes and taking away much needed funding for job creation. Sheriff Guadagno’s statements show how cynical it is for the Christie campaign to think they can come to Newark for a press conference and pretend they have any connection with New Jersey’s cities.”

At-Large Councilman Donald Payne, Jr., got in the last shot. 

“This is the best example of why Ms. Guadagno does not deserve to represent this State as Lieutenant Governor,” Payne said. “If the Sheriff is afraid to walk down the streets of any municipality in the State, let alone the largest city, we don't need that. I would suggest that Monmouth County re-evaluate her competence to serve as their Sheriff. It's not about power and politics, it's about people and public service."