Governor’s Morris County Town Hall is First in a Year

There’s no place like home.

Governor Chris Christie may not feel that way, however. 

The state’s leader has come to be known for his YouTube-ready, off-the-cuff town hall sessions of which he’s conducted 110 since taking office in January 2010. His next one is scheduled for Wednesday morning in Long Hill Township, Morris County.

It will be just his eighth town hall meeting in the county during his tenure. Christie, who chooses to reside in nearby Mendham Township rather than the Governor’s Mansion in Drumthwacket, is a former Morris County Freeholder and has lived in Morris since the early 1990s.

In his first full year as governor, Christie conducted three of the open sessions in Morris County – April 6, 2010 in Boonton; June 10, 2010 in Succasunna; and December 3, 2010 in Parsippany. The following year, in 2011, Christie held just one town hall in Morris, on February 15 in Parsippany.

It wasn’t until nearly a year later that Christie came back to Morris County, an area whose elected officials have backed the governor nearly 100-percent of the time and a region that votes predominantly Republican.

In 2012, town halls were held on February 2 and May 16 in Denville and East Hanover, respectively. In his re-election year, the governor came to Morris just once, on Feb. 27 in Montville.

This will be the second town hall session held by Christie since being inaugurated for his second term in January.

Aside from his 2010 meeting in Succasunna, Christie hasn’t gone west of Morristown during his Morris County stops. Moreover, Wednesday’s Long Hill town hall is Christie’s first in Morris in nearly a year to the day. The town hall session is first come, first served and open to 100 residents and press. Seating begins at 9:30 a.m. with the governor taking the stage at 10:30 a.m. at Long Hill Community Center at 1229 Valley Road and South Warren Avenue in Stirling.