If I lived in York County, I’d be troubled by the sight of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie campaigning for Gov. Paul LePage here in Maine. If York County doesn’t vote for LePage, will LePage rip a page from the Christie administration playbook and retaliate by closing lanes on the Kittery bridge?

Granted, Christie didn’t himself order lanes closed on the New York-to-New Jersey George Washington Bridge to retaliate against the Fort Lee, New Jersey, mayor for not supporting his re-election, but the incident was symptomatic of Christie’s bullying and heavy-handed managerial style. You know, kind of like LePage’s.

Thus it comes as no surprise that Christie should come to Maine and campaign for a man whose crassness, heavy-handedness and insulting behavior should have driven him off the political stage a long time ago. While brashness may play to some audiences, it’s a poor substitute for good governance.

Lawrence Reichard

Belfast