Christie praises Snyder's handling of Detroit

By DAVID EGGERT
Associated Press

DETROIT - Chris Christie on Friday lauded fellow Republican governor Rick Snyder's leadership in bankrupt Detroit, calling the city a wake-up call to the rest of the U.S. but also a place that is showing signs of rebirth.

"Folks all across the country ... need to get control of the expenses of government," the New Jersey governor and potential 2016 presidential candidate said during a campaign event with Snyder at a Detroit coffee shop.

"One of great things Rick has done is to be realistic and to be honest with the people of Michigan about what the problems are and what the solutions are going to cost," said Christie, who visited the state in his role as chairman of the Republican Governors Association, which has spent an estimated $10 million on TV ads in Snyder's tight re-election race against Democrat Mark Schauer.

The visit came a day after the state-appointed emergency manager relinquished control of the city after 18 months of state oversight.

Kevyn Orr, with Snyder's blessing, took the city into the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. His exit becomes fully effective if and when a federal judge approves the debt-ridden city's restructuring plan in bankruptcy court.

A crowd of three dozen anti-Snyder protesters could be heard chanting across the street throughout the 20-minute coffee shop meeting with young entrepreneurs and professionals.

"I love campaigning for candidates who have protesters. That means they're doing something," Christie said.

Christie later headlined a Snyder fundraiser at the Detroit Athletic Club.

Michigan Democratic Party Executive Director Garrett Arwa questioned why Snyder, whose administration has been criticized for its handling of a $145 million contract with a company that serves food to state inmates, campaigned with Christie - who came under scrutiny for a politically motivated bid by members of his staff last year to create traffic jams near the George Washington Bridge. Christie has said he played no role in the plot.

"The people of Michigan and the people of Detroit ... want governors who stand for accountability," Arwa said.

He said Detroit residents are not experiencing a turnaround. "They're not seeing jobs; they're not seeing improvement in schools; they're not seeing improvement in infrastructure," he said.

Also Friday, Snyder's campaign released a new TV ad with a retired teacher challenging Democrats' contention that Snyder cut education funding. The woman says Schauer, a former state legislator, voted to cut state K-12 funding.

"You know Rick Snyder must be getting desperate when he makes the decision to go negative," Schauer spokeswoman Cathy Bacile Cunningham said in a statement. Schauer held a number of campaign events in the Lansing area Friday.

Schauer has repeatedly said Snyder slashed education spending by $1 billion.

There were education funding reductions in Snyder's first year of office, but the fairest spending reduction directly attributable to the governor is roughly $450 million. The evidence used to support the $1 billion figure is a snapshot that disregards federal stimulus money drying up when Snyder took office, and later supplemental adjustments to both his first budget and the one he inherited.

State-based K-12 spending - not including the federal aid that dropped off drastically - increased in all four budgets signed by Snyder, according to the nonpartisan Senate Fiscal Agency. Funding for universities, however, still is below when Snyder became governor.