Christie Says He Tackled Problems No Other Politicians Would
Chris Christie
Outgoing Gov. Chris Christie  said Tuesday that New Jersey needed "tough and plain-spoken leadership" when  he  took office eight years ago and  he  delivered it  pulling the state from "the brink of financial ruin" by confronting problems leaders of both parties had ignored for decades.
 Christie  hands over state government to Democrat Phil Murphy in a week.
 Christie  said  he  was the first governor in America to try to tackle the huge and escalating burden of state pension costs  saying previous governors from both parties and Legislatures "virtually ignored the growing menace of increased costs and no real contributions." Among the steps taken during  his  administration was dedicating lottery proceeds to the pension system for the next 30 years.
When  he  took office   Christie  said  New Jersey was "on the brink of financial ruin as a state."
"We needed tough and plain-spoken leadership to deal with these problems "  he  said.
 He  said  he  vetoed more than $7 billion in spending  helped cut the state workforce  pushed through a cap on property tax increases and  at the same time  made sure the state invested heavily to help protect the New Jersey Shore from the kind of devastation it suffered during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
The prepared text of  his  remarks didn't show  him  invoking the name of  his  friend  President Donald Trump. But  he  called it an "honor" to chair the White House's opioid commission.
 Christie 's speech caps  his  stint as one of America's best-known governors.
 He  was on the cover of Time magazine under the headline "The Boss" and a periodic guest on late-night television  where  he  memorably appeared in a skit about "dad dancing" with Jimmy Fallon and poked fun at  his  weight by eating a doughnut on David Letterman's show.
At least in the beginning   he  won acclaim for  his  forthrightness  like when  he  told beachcombers to "get the hell off the beach" in 2011 during Hurricane Irene.  He  told it like it was before Trump brought the practice to the White House.
 He  also was exceedingly popular and widely praised for guiding the state in its recovery from Superstorm Sandy  which ravaged the coastline.  He  was briefly seen as a top GOP contender for president.
But  he  was also criticized for testy exchanges with the public during town hall meetings and other encounters.
 His  popularity and job approval fell sharply  particularly after the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal in which three of  his  allies were convicted in a political retribution scheme.  He  also lost the home crowd after spending much of 2015 and early 2016 campaigning for president out of state  a contest  he  dropped out of after failing to emerge from the back of the pack.
 He  returned to New Jersey and focused on the state's â and country's â opioid addiction crisis after failing to get a top job in the Trump administration. A regular theme in  his  remarks around the state included "second chances " and the idea that people can make a comeback.
[TGT] said Tuesday that New Jersey needed "tough and plain-spoken leadership" when   [TGT]   took office eight years ago and   [TGT]   delivered it  pulling the state from "the brink of financial ruin" by confronting problems leaders of both parties had ignored for decades.
  [TGT] hands over state government to Democrat Phil Murphy in a week.
  [TGT] said   [TGT]   was the first governor in America to try to tackle the huge and escalating burden of state pension costs  saying previous governors from both parties and Legislatures "virtually ignored the growing menace of increased costs and no real contributions." Among the steps taken during  his  administration was dedicating lottery proceeds to the pension system for the next 30 years.
When  he  took office    [TGT] said  New Jersey was "on the brink of financial ruin as a state."
"We needed tough and plain-spoken leadership to deal with these problems "  he  said.
 He  said  he  vetoed more than $7 billion in spending  helped cut the state workforce  pushed through a cap on property tax increases and  at the same time  made sure the state invested heavily to help protect the New Jersey Shore from the kind of devastation it suffered during Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
The prepared text of  his  remarks didn't show  him  invoking the name of  his  friend  President Donald Trump. But  he  called it an "honor" to chair the White House's opioid commission.
  [TGT]  's speech caps   [TGT]   stint as one of America's best-known governors.
  [TGT]   was on the cover of Time magazine under the headline "The Boss" and a periodic guest on late-night television  where   [TGT]   memorably appeared in a skit about "dad dancing" with Jimmy Fallon and poked fun at  his  weight by eating a doughnut on David Letterman's show.
At least in the beginning   he  won acclaim for  his  forthrightness  like when  he  told beachcombers to "get the hell off the beach" in 2011 during Hurricane Irene.  He  told it like it was before Trump brought the practice to the White House.
 He  also was exceedingly popular and widely praised for guiding the state in its recovery from Superstorm Sandy  which ravaged the coastline.  He  was briefly seen as a top GOP contender for president.
But  he  was also criticized for testy exchanges with the public during town hall meetings and other encounters.
 His  popularity and job approval fell sharply  particularly after the George Washington Bridge lane closure scandal in which three of  his  allies were convicted in a political retribution scheme.  He  also lost the home crowd after spending much of 2015 and early 2016 campaigning for president out of state  a contest  he  dropped out of after failing to emerge from the back of the pack.
 He  returned to New Jersey and focused on the state's â and country's â opioid addiction crisis after failing to get a top job in the Trump administration. A regular theme in  his  remarks around the state included "second chances " and the idea that people can make a comeback.