For the second time this year, Senate President Stephen M. Sweeney is in charge of running the state. Gov. Chris Christie's office Sunday announced Sweeney would be acting governor until the end of the year. It was Sweeney -- not Christie or Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno -- who declared a weather emergency Sunday and ordered state offices closed Monday.
Christie is at Disney World in Florida with his family this week; Guadagno is vacationing with her family in Mexico.
Sweeney signed more than 50 bills in the lame-duck period preceding Christie's inauguration.
The Christie administration is the first to have both a governor and a lieutenant governor, following a 2005 voter-approved changed to New Jersey's constitution.
Codey had two high-profile turns at the acting governor helm: in 2004 when James E. McGreevey unexpectedly announced he was gay and resigned, and in 2007 when a seat-belt-less Corzine was nearly killed in a car crash.
Then-Speaker Albio Sires pushed for establishing the lieutenant's office during the tumult following McGreevey's exit, which included a court challenge by Republicans.
According to media reports, Sweeney said he was "in shock" when he learned both the governor and lieutenant governor were going on vacation during what was expected to be a massive snowstorm.
A blogger at ConservativeNewJersey.com was even blunter.
"Will Mr. Christie and Mrs. Guadagno call a joint press conference to explain to the people of New Jersey precisely WHY we have a Lieutenant Governor if the person serving in that office cannot be bothered to reschedule her vacation to follow the Governor's?" the anonymous blogger wrote.
Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak said Monday he could not say how many times the governor and lieutenant governor had checked in with Sweeney or the Office of Emergency Management since the storm hit Sunday.
