My time with scandal-hit Christie aide
It was November 2007. I was 23, fresh out of college, and sitting across the table from my new boss for the first time. His name was David Wildstein. On Thursday, Wildstein, a former Port Authority official, was on cable TV — a Chris Christie appointee raising his right hand and pleading for fifth before a state investigative panel trying to tell him about his role in closing lanes on a New Jersey bridge. apparent political retaliation.
At the time, all I knew about David were the few personal tidbits he shared with me: He was from New Jersey and mostly liked politics. David, he said, was a “political junkie” — the kind of person obsessed with running for school board and sheriff — and he admired other political junkies. He said that’s why he wanted me to work for him. I had almost no experience in journalism or politics, but he said he had a good sense for me. With financial support from his friend Jared Kushner, publisher of the New York Observer, he launched a new venture called Politicker.com, an independent website covering politics in every state and city.
It was all a bit strange. He had a huge, powerful presence – rattling the floorboards as he walked and giving the impression of a guy not to be messed with. He wore an elegant suit, expensive shoes and a large shiny watch. And it was hard to read. After I answered one of his questions, he stared at me for what seemed like an eternity, then his eyes drifted off into the distance. I was afraid I had said something wrong.
But he wanted to hire me, and that was all that mattered. Looking back on that first exchange, it encapsulated everything I had experienced with David during my year with him. Yes, it was scary. But he also had a big heart – and fought like a dog to reward those closest to him.
At a time when the economy was hurting the journalism industry, David liked the idea of trying out young political journalists. He talked about other writers whose careers he launched — people like Steve Kornacki, who now has a show on MSNBC, and James Pindell, who is now political director at WMUR in New Hampshire. Today, many journalists who worked for David say they are deeply indebted to him.
A year after bringing me on board, David took me under his wing. He would say that politics was a hard game and journalists were part of the game. Don’t be afraid to call lawmakers at their homes late at night when they were with their families. Always put pressure on politicians to tell you what their future ambitions are. And never – ever – write about topics or politics.
