Christie On Calling North Wildwood Mayor "Crazy": 'I Got Carried Away'
NORTH WILDWOOD, NJ (CBS) -- The mayor of North Wildwood fired back at Governor Christie after he says the Governor referred to him as, "the Crazy Mayor of North Wildwood."
Mayor Patrick Rosenello says, "As one of his earliest supporters during both of his runs for Governor and having met and interacted with him and his family numerous times over the course of his terms as Governor, I am disappointed that he would lower himself as much as he did."
He continued, "I am more disappointed, however, in the evident lack of concern or respect that he is showing for the first responders, residents, business and property owners of North Wildwood, Cape May County and other areas of New Jersey impacted by this storm. Having spent the entirety of this event in North Wildwood and coordinating with our emergency responders to safely rescue approximately 150 people from their flooded homes, my perspective is somewhat different from that of the Governor as he campaigns in New Hampshire."
Governor Christie is facing criticism after some say he is downplaying the impact of the weekend storm at the Jersey Shore.
"There's been one county that's flooded in the state. One county, that was Cape May County. It's the one county that flooded. So I don't know where, from all over the state, since we have 21 counties where that's happened," Christie said.
"Second, I don't know exactly what you expect me to do. You want me to go down to Cape May with a mop?"
Mayor Rosenello says he did get a phone call from Governor Christie apologizing for calling him crazy. The mayor says he wasn't worried about his reputation, but thought it was disrespectful to the first responders and those whose homes sustained damage in the storm.
Eyewitness News is told Governor Christie told Mayor Rosenello he was not trying to make anyone feel disrespected or marginalized, he was trying to contrast how destructive Superstorm Sandy was in New Jersey.
Christie said at a press conference on Tuesday, "I called the mayor this morning and apologized. He is a long-time friend and I got carried away at a town hall meeting. It's not the first time I've gotten carried away and said something that I later apologized for... He was gracious in accepting it and we work together and we will move on from here."
North Wildwood had about 150 people who had to be rescued from their homes during the storm because of power outages and rising flood water.
Despite the apology, businesses down the shore seem to be siding with the mayor. Zippy's Bike in Wildwood tweeted: 'Who's Crazy Now?!? We Love our Crazy Mayor!!! Thanks for your Support!!'
Who's Crazy Now?!? We Love our Crazy Mayor!!! Thanks for your Support!! pic.twitter.com/K5afSkHWPC
— Zippy's Bikes (@ZippysBikes) January 26, 2016