8/20/2019 Asbury Park Press front page Friday, March 4 2016

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Petitions demanding a recallelection have to be signed by25% of the state’s registeredvoters. There are 5,451,816

registered voters, so 1,362,954 valid signatures are required.

ASBURY PARK PRESS APP.COM $1.50

VOLUME 137

NUMBER 55

SINCE 1879

ADVICE JERSEY ALIVE

CLASSIFIED 3D

COMICS JERSEY ALIVE

LOCAL 3A

MOVIES JERSEY ALIVE

OBITUARIES 7A

OPINION 10A

SPORTS 1C

WEATHER 12C

YOUR MONEY 6A

Soccer star Brandi Chastainsays she will donate her

brain to CTE research. 1B

TRENTON - Gov. Chris Christie says he’s not go-ing anywhere.

Especially not rejoining Donald Trump on thecampaign trail — at least not anytime soon.

“I am here. I am back to work,” Christie told re-porters Thursday, pushing back against calls for himto resign, insisting he is doing the business of thepeople of New Jerseyand asserting that he is a sup-porter, but no full-time surrogate, of Trump’s bid forthe presidency.

He also lashed out at the Gannett-owned AsburyPark Press and its five sister newspapers — as wellas The Star-Ledger — for editorials saying Christieshould quit because he’s doing a poor job, spendingtoo much time outside New Jersey, and putting hisnarrow political interests ahead of New Jersey’s.

“I’ve been out of the presidential race for 22 daysand I’ve been here for 19 days, and I’ve been work-ing,” Christie said during a nearly two-hour news

‘I’M BACK TO WORK’

Christie says he has

continued to serve

New Jersey public

Refuses calls from

state newspapers,

lawmakers to resign

EDITORIAL: Christie’s

claim of nonsupport

an ‘absolute lie.’ 10A

“I know who I

wanted to be

president of the

United States —

you're looking

at him! It didn't

work out.”

MORE INSIDE

» Star-Ledger joins Asbury Park Press in calling for Christieresignation.STORY, 9A

» Ocean County GOP poised to mull Christie’s Trumpendorsement.STORY, 9A

» Recall of Chris Christie from office a longshot.STORY, 9A

25%

Wide-ranging addresslooks forward, back

RUSS ZIMMER @RUSSZIMMER

AND BOB JORDAN @ BOBJORDANAPP

THOMAS P. COSTELLO/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie holds a nearly two-hour news conference in his Statehouse office in Trenton on Thursday.

SECAUCUS - Ten days before a potential strike byits railroad workers, NJ Transit and state Departmentof Transportation officials announced contingencyplans in the event of a systemwide shutdown.

NJ Transit will offer enhanced bus service — includ-ing new service from large park-and-ride locations —and cross-honor fares with the PATH and Hudson Riv-er ferries.

“This will not be a normal commute by any means,”NJ Transit interim executive director Dennis Martinsaid at a news conference. “Bus and light rail cannotduplicate our rail service. We need the general publicto know this and plan accordingly.”

At best, the NJ Transit contingency plan can only ac-

count for about 40,000 New York commuters. Thatmeans about 10,000 extra cars on the road during peakperiods, resulting in massive backups on bridges andtunnels.

“This will not be a normal commute. All travelerswill share in the pain,” Martin said.

Wheels on the bus...

If a shutdown occurs, NJ Transit will operate fivepark-and-ride locations throughout the state, with a to-

‘All travelerswill share inthe pain’ of a rail strike

ASBURY PARK PRESS FILE PHOTO

New Jersey-bound commuters board an NJ Transit bus at the

Port Authority Bus Terminal in midtown Manhattan last yea r.

Contingency plans include increasedbus service, cross-honored ticketing

MIKE DAVIS @BYMIKEDAVIS

See TRANSIT, Page12A

RED BANK - Self-interested, opportunistic, anembarrassment to the state — that is what somepeople called Gov. Chris Christie’s endorsement ofDonald Trump for president.

“That somehow felt like a betrayal,” said JohnHeide, an independent from Riverside.

For others, it was no surprise — just politics.“This is what people do in the election cycle,”

said John Lock of Little Silver.Christie’s endorsement of Trump and his subse-

quent out-of-state campaigning for the GOP front-runner has fueled calls for Christie to resign. It’salso unleashed critiques of his commitment to theGarden State.

“If you’re going to be a governor here, you’reobliged to the people of the state,” said James Walk-er, a Democrat in Keansburg. “His constituents arenoticing his absence.”

But word along the coffee shops and businessesof Red Bank was far from unified. A few echoed

Shore residents spliton governor’s future

KAREN YI @KAREN_YI

FRIDAY 03.04.16

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See REACTION, Page 9ASee CHRISTIE,Page 9A

Gov. Christie responded to the Asbury Park Press editorial calling for his resignation saying the paper had

never supported him. The Press editorial board endorsed him during both of his gubernatorial campaigns.

Boosted by sunny skies and an improving economy, the tourismindustry generated nearly $7 billion in Monmouth and Oceancounties last year. STORY, 6A

Business

Shore tourismup 5 percent