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Marking Sandy anniversary, Christie- style

BELMAR, N.J. - On the second anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, fans of Gov. Christie's lined Main Street in this Shore town, waiting to meet him with hugs and requests for photos.

Gov. Christie, at left, speaks in Belmar . At right, Jim Keady of Spring Lake holds up a sign. Keady later said Christie was "ducking a real conversation" on the topic of Sandy recovery. MEL EVANS / AP
Gov. Christie, at left, speaks in Belmar . At right, Jim Keady of Spring Lake holds up a sign. Keady later said Christie was "ducking a real conversation" on the topic of Sandy recovery. MEL EVANS / APRead more

BELMAR, N.J. - On the second anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, fans of Gov. Christie's lined Main Street in this Shore town, waiting to meet him with hugs and requests for photos.

But protesters critical of the governor's handling of the recovery effort led Christie to spend part of an event commemorating the storm by barking at a man to "sit down and shut up."

The Republican governor, who paused his cross-country travels as chairman of the Republican Governors Association on Wednesday to mark the Oct. 29 anniversary, also fired off at President Obama, continuing to argue that mandatory quarantines were necessary for travelers in contact with Ebola patients.

"I don't know when the White House is going to get around to admitting that, and not giving us seven-minute lectures from the South Lawn," Christie said in Belmar, an apparent reference to remarks by Obama that were interpreted as critical of quarantines like the one Christie imposed on nurse Kaci Hickox, who is now resisting a quarantine in Maine.

Two years earlier, Christie had raised his national profile - and drawn criticism from some conservatives - for praising Obama's leadership after Sandy.

His then-sky-high approval ratings have since fallen. Though Christie was greeted warmly in Belmar, one of five Sandy-battered towns he visited Wednesday, not everyone there was satisfied with him.

As Christie stood behind a lectern set up in the street and described the state's recovery efforts as "one step at a time," Jim Keady rose from the crowd with a poster that read: "Stay in New Jersey, finish the job."

A woman also stood with a poster calling on Christie to release more federal money to storm victims. Of more than $3.2 billion allocated to New Jersey by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the state has so far disbursed $802 million.

Christie continued speaking, and an officer moved toward Keady. Someone in the crowd yelled, "Down in front."

"I got the picture; I read it, OK," Christie said. Keady spoke out, but Christie talked over him.

"I'd be more than happy to have a debate with you, guy, any time you like, because somebody like you doesn't know a damn thing about what you're talking about, except to stand up and show off when the cameras are here," Christie said.

His voice rising to a shout, Christie went on: "I've been here when the cameras aren't here, buddy. I've been here when the cameras weren't here and did the work." The crowd applauded.

After instructing Keady to "get your 15 minutes of fame" and accusing him of "flapping your mouth without doing anything," Christie said he'd be happy to have a conversation with the man - "later."

"But until that time, sit down and shut up," Christie said.

Keady later said Christie was "ducking a real conversation" on the topic. A Spring Lake resident, Keady, who was with a group handing out fliers critical of the effort, said that he wasn't affected by the storm but that customers at his family's Waretown tavern had complained about the homeowner grant program set up by the state.

The program "has failed them again and again and again," Keady said.

Until that point, Christie's visit had been confrontation-free. Joined by his wife, Mary Pat, Christie toured Belmar's Main Street with Mayor Matt Doherty, shaking hands with residents and store owners.

He was trailed by fans like Tracey Lynch, who said, "I want him to be president so bad. That's my wish."

Lynch, of Belmar, said she met Christie three days after the storm and appreciated that he had come back to visit.

"He's so down to earth," she said. "I just love his aura."

Jane Harrison of Manasquan told Christie she supported his work on Sandy recovery. "People say they don't get anything, but it's there," Harrison said, referring to complaints from homeowners still waiting for grant money. She received a grant to rebuild and raise her house - "a big help."

Sandy wasn't the only topic of conversation. "Stick to your guns on the Ebola thing," one woman instructed him.

"Don't you worry," Christie said.