(William Farrington)
Hot-headed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie yesterday threw his weight around to get his way for the upcoming 10th-anniver-
sary 9/11 ceremony after blasting Mayor Bloomberg for excluding ex-Jersey Gov. Donald DiFrancesco from the solemn event.
Christie privately lambasted Bloomberg as “Napoleon,” “a dictator” and “a putz” when DiFrancesco — who was the Garden State governor during the attack — wasn’t asked to speak at the ceremony, sources told The Post.
But Bloomberg took the high road later in the day and extended an invitation to DiFrancesco — saying all the former governor had to do to be included was ask.
“Though former Governor DiFrancesco hadn’t asked to speak at the previous 9/11 memorial ceremonies, the New Jersey’s Governor’s Office asked on his behalf this afternoon,” a Bloomberg spokesman said. “He’ll have the same role in this year’s ceremony as the other officials in elected office.”
Christie went ballistic after finding out which officials will read poetry selections at the Ground Zero event — which is being closely choreographed by Bloomberg’s aides.
The lineup originally included President Obama, former President George W. Bush, Gov. Cuomo, Christie, former Gov. George Pataki, Bloomberg and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani — but no DiFrancesco.
“We were told this is the way the mayor wants it. He just wants to have a right to approve everything,” a top aide to Christie groused. “He’s not the dictator anymore.”
DiFrancesco, who served less than a year as governor after Christie Whitman resigned to serve in the Bush administration, said he could handle the snub.
“I think it’s just an oversight. Am I disappointed? Yeah. But on the other hand, I’m a big boy,” he told The Post before Bloomberg’s about-face.
The skirmish marked yet another battle in the all-out war between Bloomberg and Christie.
It all began when Bloomberg publicly defended Port Authority executive director Chris Ward. Cuomo and Christie view Ward as an obstructionist, political insiders said.
“You’re not going to have any cheers downtown when Chris goes, if he goes,” Hizzoner told The Post’s editorial board Tuesday.
But Cuomo, as The Post first reported, plans to can Ward after the 9/11 anniversary.
The Garden State governor’s aides also complained that the mayor shut the PA out of the 9/11 ceremonies.
The PA lost dozens of employees — including its executive director — when the authority-owned Twin Towers collapsed.
“Sept. 11 is a very serious thing to this organization and the people here. They should be represented,” the Christie official said.
It’s the second nasty dustup between Bloomberg and Christie in a week.
Christie slammed a host of current and former officials — singling out Bloomberg — over the PA’s massive plan to raise tolls between $4 and $9 over the next three years.
Adding to the controversy, Cuomo also wants a more prominent role in the ceremony.
Cuomo could be trying to repair damage to his own post-9/ll reputation, which took a hit when he taunted Pataki’s performance after the attack.
Additional reporting by David Seifman