Outgoing New Jersey senator and Christie friend gets job on Horizon board
TRENTON -- Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday appointed longtime friend and outgoing state Sen. Joseph Kyrillos to the board of directors of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey -- the insurance company that has been the target of the governor's verbal attacks for most of the year.
Kyrillos, who declined to seek reelection to an eighth term, would earn $77,000 a year as a part-time board member for Horizon, if the Senate approves the nomination. Christie also named one of his most trusted confidantes, Michelle Brown, the CEO of a pro-economic development group, to the board in June.
Christie tried to exert control over Horizon last winter by ridiculing the $12 billion nonprofit for greedily keeping $2.4 billion in reserve, hoping Horizon would donate $300 million to aid his efforts to combat opioid addiction. Horizon resisted, and the administration publicly sparred with top executives into the spring.
The fight led to a budget impasse embroiling the Legislature and a three-day state government shutdown in July. The matter was settled by Christie signing a bill that added two Legislative-appointed board members to improve government oversight.
Read more: http://www.nj.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2017/11/outgoing_nj_lawmaker_and_christie_friend_gets_job.html
