Christie, Pelosi attend prisoner re-entry center ceremony

For the second time this year, Governor Christie went to Jersey City to promote programs that give drug addicts second chances.

It’s an issue Christie has spoken about passionately – he made it mandatory for nonviolent offenders to be sentenced to treatment – and one his re-election campaign highlighted last year. Some hope he could take the issue to a national level if he runs for president in 2016, a point that was underscored during Monday’s ribbon cutting at Martin’s Place, a one-stop facility for drug treatment, transitional housing and employment assistance.

There was no visible tension between Christie and Mayor Steven Fulop, who earlier this year said Christie’s office cancelled meetings with him after he declined to endorse the governor’s re-election bid, as they chatted during the event. Christie even clasped hands with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, a California Democratic who spoke at the event, and smiled as they talked.

The opening of the center, named after Martin Luther King Jr., drew a mix of politicians to the heavily Democratic city, including former Gov. Brendan Byrne, a Democrat, former Gov. Tom Kean, a Republican, and numerous members of Congress.