As long as they don't do an "inside story tell all" book or interview, they will get jobs in a few months. Both of them are apparently well regarded in NJ Republican circles, something that won't be the case if they talk out of turn. Here are WSJ portraits of them that they could almost use as resumes or recommendations for future possible jobs.
Firing of Christie Allies Shocked Their Friends and Associates
Dismissals Occurred After Emails and Texts About George Washington Bridge
Three days ago, Mr. Christie lauded Mr. Stepien as the “best Republican operative in the country” when announcing his ally would lead the state’s Republican Party.
Mr. Stepien, 36 years old, had amassed an impressive resume for a young operative. He gained a wide circle of political friends after winning two statewide elections for Mr. Christie and working for the national Republican Party and two presidential campaigns.
After graduating from Rutgers University, Mr. Stepien worked with Michael DuHaime, a Christie loyalist. The pair teamed up on several New Jersey races, and in the private sector as political consultants. Mr. Stepien also took part in President George W. Bush’s re-election bid in New Hampshire.
Mr. Stepien staged events, recruited voters and organized grass-roots calling operations. He understood the technical side of campaigns while motivating scores of staffers and volunteers, said Terry Nelson, the campaign’s national political director. “He knew how to get people to come out and vote,” Mr. Nelson said.
Other staffers recalled his dry sense of humor and gathering to watch “Seinfeld” and drink beer after long days of mingling with voters and making hundreds of calls. “He would always pace around the campaign headquarters with his hockey stick. He would do slap shots off the wall and such,” said Stephen Replogle, who worked with him on the campaign.
Associates said he was a loyal aide who cared about making his boss happy. Mr. Stepien was rarely quoted on the record, and he had little to no presence on social media, said several associates.
He later worked for the Republican National Committee and joined John McCain’s 2008 bid for president as a regional director in New York and New Jersey, running ground operations. “He was considered to be someone you wanted on your team,” said Richard Mroz, the New Jersey campaign coordinator.
After Mr. McCain lost, Mr. Stepien was Mr. Christie’s campaign manager and later took a job in Mr. Christie’s office, working as a jack-of-all-trades before rising to deputy chief of staff. He managed the campaign again in 2013, when the controversial text messages and emails over the bridge-lane closures were exchanged.
After the race, he texted Mr. Replogle, his friend, saying “he was looking forward to the next chapter.” That chapter was announced Tuesday when Mr. Christie nominated him to run the state’s Republican Party. By Thursday afternoon, his biography had been removed from the party’s site.
“He made a mistake, but the reality is, this is a bump in the road,” Mr. Nelson, now a national political consultant, said. “He is a talented guy and will move on and grow from this.”
Ms. Kelly rose through the Bergen County Republican Party, securing jobs in Trenton over years of rough-and-tumble New Jersey politics. A position in Mr. Christie’s administration was described by one local official as her “dream job.”
Ms. Kelly, 41, was born in New Jersey and lives in Ramsey. She has four children. She began working for Mr. Christie in 2009 during his campaign for governor and came into his office as a legislative liaison before expanding her portfolio to include community, business and religious organizations.
She eventually became his deputy chief of staff for legislative and intergovernmental affairs, the position she held when Mr. Christie said he fired her Thursday.
Ms. Kelly didn’t return requests for comment.
“She was always professional,” said state Sen. Loretta Weinberg, a Democrat from Bergen County who has frequently been at odds with Mr. Christie.
Ms. Kelly was described by several Trenton observers as close to Mr. Stepien. He helped bring her to the administration, and she rose through the ranks.
People on both sides of the aisle described Ms. Kelly as likable and a friendly face in an administration that could at times be intimidating.
“She was viewed as someone in the front office you could have a conversation with,” said one person who had frequent dealings with the administration.
Ms. Weinberg said she congratulated Ms. Kelly on her promotion in April 2013 to be one of three deputy chiefs of staff on the governor’s senior staff.
Ms. Kelly previously worked for a state assemblyman from northern New Jersey, and she graduated from Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md., according to the governor’s website.
Her social-media websites had been scrubbed by Thursday afternoon, leaving little sign of her ever working for Mr. Christie.
Write to Heather Haddon at heather.haddon@wsj.com, Lisa Fleisher at lisa.fleisher@wsj.com and Josh Dawsey at joshua.dawsey@wsj.com |
