Christie Colleague’s Wife Approved For State BPU Post

Gov. Chris Christie's choice for a spot on the state Board of Public Utilities has cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee.

His nominee for the $125,000-a-year post is Dianne Solomon of Haddonfield. She's the wife of his first board president, Lee Solomon, who worked with Christie when he was U.S. attorney. He's now a Superior Court judge.

Dianne Solomon is an official with the U.S. Tennis Association.

Her nomination is expected to go before the full Senate on Thursday.

The Sierra Club has criticized the appointment. It says the board needs experts in the field to ensure utilities are better prepared for storms like Sandy.

The Christie administration says Solomon has a good track record dealing with funding and other issues in her current unpaid position on the South Jersey Transportation Authority.

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