FORT LEE, N.J. Jan. 10 (DPI Analysis) – It’s long been said politics ain’t beanbag: Nasty personal attacks and payback for opposition or disloyalty are part of modern politics.

But when aides of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie allegedly demanded the closure of approach lanes to the George Washington Bridge last year to retaliate against the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., we must ask:  How exactly could that have benefited the governor?

After all, The Borough of Fort Lee may proudly occupy the western side of bridge, but – save for the supporting role of the 100+ officer Fort Lee police department – there’s almost nothing that the GWB and the town share operationally.

And most New Jersey resident know it: “When you sit in a traffic jam in the approach lanes of the bridge, no one sees it as  a failure of the town of Fort Lee,” says Steven Trank, a resident of Clifton, NJ, about 10 miles from the GWB. “In fact, the culprits that come to mind when you are stuck in traffic are the Port Authority and the State of New Jersey.”

The Port Authority is the bi-state agency that operates most of the interstate bridges and tunnels in the region, as well as the World Trade Center. Most New Jersey and New York residents who use the bridge – eastbound toll is now $13 – recognize that the Port Authority is principally responsible for the GWB – and that the PA wields clout far stronger than any municipality.

What’s more, an operator who received a call at Fort Lee City Hall said the borough, while it does receive some complaints from  drivers about the chronic congestion at the approaches to the bridge, “almost never” is accused of mismanaging the bridge. “People understand the state and the Port Authority are responsible for it, not the town,” she said

All of that suggests that Christie’s aides were ignorant of a basic fact: That the town plays only a limited, secondary role in operating the GWB. Many posters on news site comment boards this week recognized the move to “get back” at a local politician who didn’t support the governor was not only petty but clumsy politics.

In fact, any “retribution” against the town’s mayor could only backfire, since the State of New Jersey and New York State are ultimately responsible for the bridge.

The bridge is the most heavily trafficked in the world with 110 million vehicles crossing it annually. Fort Lee, one of more than 50 municipalities in Bergen County, N.J., has a population of 34,000.  Digital Press International was founded in 2002 in Fort Lee, with offices through 2007 at The Parker Plaza Building, located at the approach lanes of the bridge.