When not traveling to Cowboys games at the expense of owner Jerry Jones, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie eats at the expense of the taxpayers at MetLife Stadium. Along with, hopefully, a lot of other people.
Via Watchdog.org, Christie supplemented the free luxury suite at the government-owned venue shared by the Giants and Jets via more than $82,000 in concession expenses over a 58-event stretch in 2010 and 2011. Since the Jets and Giants host only 10 games each per year at the facility, it means Christie incurred the expenses at roughly 18 other MetLife events during that time period. That averages more than $1,400 per event.
Depending on the size of the suite, the menu options, and the cost of the food and drink, the average expenditures may not be that glaring. MetLife Stadium has suites ranging from 12 to 30 people, which means that the average expense per person per event ranges from $46 to $116.
But since those facts tend to undercut the notion of Christie chain-eating brats or treating the desert table like the pie-eating contest in Stand By Me, they’ll likely be overlooked. Also overlooked will be the reality that the New Jersey Governor receives an annual salary of $175,000 plus another $95,000 per year in expense advances, which are paid quarterly by the state. During his five years in office, Chrisite could have spent up to $475,000. He actually spent $360,000, which saves $115,000 in taxpayer money already allocated by law to the budget for those expenses.