Fort Lee Mayor Describes the Nightmare Caused When Chris Christie's Operatives Shutdown Multiple Lanes of the George Washington Bridge

 CBS New York reports:

Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich, a Democrat, said the now-public documents have confirmed his suspicions.

“I didn’t want to jump in to this arena because I’ve got enough to do in Fort Lee. But it’s now pretty clear that there’s intentionality involved,” he told WCBS 880′s Levon Putney.
State Democrats have long said the gridlock-inducing lane closures were political retaliation.
“I don’t know if this is comical or if it’s criminal. We went through absolute hell and misery here in Fort Lee for four days,” said Sokolich.

Speaking to CBS News, Sokolich described the chain of events involved in the lane closures.
“I woke up one morning and I was told by the police chief that we were in complete traffic gridlock. Whenever something like that happens, there’s always an explanation for it – it’s either an accident on the Cross-Bronx, or some sort of emergency repair on the bridge, or something – there’s an event that occurs. So we started to do our investigation,” he said.
But over a period of days, the lanes remained closed and Sokolich said no one would respond to his attempts to find out why.

“We were calling everyone that we always call and have called for the last – since the existence of the bridge, and we were not getting any responses whatsoever. My chief was dealing with law enforcement on the Port Authority side, he wasn’t getting any responsive answers, and I as well,” he said. “We called, and called, and called; e-mail after e-mail after e-mail; cell phone – we just didn’t get a response.”

Sokolich said on the Monday morning when the closures happened, some had speculated that the closures were about him and a “failure to do something or not do something.” But initially, he did not believe it.

“But then come Tuesday, the issue was still unexplainable. Nobody was responding to us. We didn’t get any response whatsoever, so there was a little doubt in the back of my mind. We then find ourselves Wednesday – same thing, same issue; complete traffic gridlock. Families here in Fort Lee still can’t get their kids to school on time. Emergency services still can’t respond on time… and I’m getting inundated with e-mails,” he said.

The communications showed an unattributed observation to Sokolich’s plea for help on the second day of the closings: “Is it wrong that I’m smiling?” 

Sokolich said when the traffic closures continued that Wednesday and Thursday with no answers about why they had happened, he became convinced they were a “punitive” measure.

He said if the reason behind the lane closures turns out to have been bogus, those responsible have to suffer the consequences for what they put drivers and people waiting on first responders through.

“I never in a million years would have ever imagined that for petty political gain, people would do what I now believe has been done, which was retribution against me. And that is the saddest, saddest political commentary that you could possibly imagine,” the mayor told Putney.
Sokolich said he wants an apology, as well a check for overtime after having to deal with four days of gridlock. 

“What I say is, ‘Shame on you,’” Sokolich told CBS News. “What I say is those cancers that have done this to my community need to go. They need to go right away.”