# NJ Gov Beach House
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nj-gov-beach-house/790581
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion
**Created:** [July 6, 2017, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nj-gov-beach-house/790581 "2017-07-06T03:54:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@ishamael69](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ishamael69)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2017, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nj-gov-beach-house/790581/1 "2017-07-06T03:54:30Z")
Can anyone explain to me why a governor needs a beach house? Why would voters approve such a thing?
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2017, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nj-gov-beach-house/790581/2 "2017-07-06T05:35:10Z")
Since this is not a factual question, let’s move it to IMHO.
Colibri
General Questions Moderator
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### Author:  [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2017, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nj-gov-beach-house/790581/3 "2017-07-06T06:15:27Z")
The Phipp’s Beach Island estate was bought in 1953 and the unimproved land form most of the grounds of the Island Beach State Park. In the grounds were three houses - like a guest house and an inlaw’s house, as well as the main one. These are smaller houses a guest might stay at.
If the governor has children or shy partner, they have housed their family at Drumthwacket , a historic building, maintained as a museum, out in Mercer County. Now this large mansion is a bit expensive to open up and secure for a short time, so the governor either lives there (for days each week, the key part being for most weeks of a year, not just the odd weekend… ) , or its run more as a museum than as a residence.
So if Drumthwacket is not available as a residence, the Beach Island properties are available.
In the future the Beach Island residence(s) might be considered historic, although they are architecturally nothing much. The use of the beach is a furfy - a media beat up.
While the authorites closed the state parks, they didn’t actually close it to residents that are enclosed by the parks - and the residents would be able to do normal things like go out for a walk into the park land, as a trade off for being an unofficial (or official) care taker. While the Gov isn’t going to be out picking up garbage and snooping on criminals, I guess some of the staff expense is shared between looking after the park and looking after the governor…
But if they are not staying there , from time to time their private home or their residence
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### Author:  [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2017, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nj-gov-beach-house/790581/4 "2017-07-06T07:04:30Z")
> [@Isilder](#):
>
> While the authorites closed the state parks, they didn’t actually close it to residents that are enclosed by the parks - and the residents would be able to do normal things like go out for a walk into the park land, as a trade off for being an unofficial (or official) care taker.
[Or not:](http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2017/07/christie_tans_while_island_beach_homeowners_burn_d.html)
> [@](#):
>
> The other Island Beach residents were ordered out of the homes Friday night under the threat of arrest. They packed up and drove off, right past the governor’s summer retreat, its lights ablaze with activity.
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### Author:  [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2017, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nj-gov-beach-house/790581/5 "2017-07-06T15:57:58Z")
> [@Colibri](#):
>
> Since this is not a factual question, let’s move it to IMHO.
>
> Colibri
> General Questions Moderator
Although the factual answer is that Gov Chris Christie is a fat piece of shit.
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### Author:  [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)
#### Post date: [July 6, 2017, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/nj-gov-beach-house/790581/6 "2017-07-06T19:33:44Z")
> [@msmith537](#):
>
> Although the factual answer is that Gov Chris Christie is a fat piece of shit.
Yeah, looking at the guy, I can understand why he’d want to evacuate an entire beach before daring to go sunbathing.