New Jersey Nightly News; A Closer Look: Governor Brendan Byrne

Were you in the public Brendan Byrne is surrounded by symbols of power. I'm one of the days we spend with him. He's state police helicopter flew him to nowhere and like most days he spent more time with his aides then with his family the aides and Foreman protect him running interference for him on a hectic day. They time his schedule to the minute and much of that timing is done on the run in a sedan rather than a limousine. The switch of automobiles was one effort by the governor's staff early in his term to improve his public image over there. Thank you. This is another of their efforts. A speech to

business leaders. The topic. The revitalization of New Jersey cities. But a main point behind the speech is what's set up after it and the governor's most impressive intimate gatherings. Not at the public. In fact Byrne admits that public events are the most difficult part of his job. His critics say he hasn't hidden that feeling very well. He's looked and sounded bored. His staff says that's the weakness of a politician who refuses to be. They like to paint a picture of Bern as a thoughtful governor in scenes like this one in his Newark office. He seems to enjoy the nuts and bolts of governing. His critics joins them too much. They say the income tax. And for that they named him one term Byrne. If the image of Bush by his aides and the opinions expressed by his critics seem to

spiral into confusion if the descriptions of him seem to contradict each other that may only be natural. He's the most visible figure in the state and the most powerful governor at least on paper in the country. We wanted to cut through the confusion and image building. We wanted to strip the man of the symbols of power and this is the private man we found. I think tonight so you know we were lucky and we're never sure. I think sort of symbolic is the fact that we thought ahead of him that we wanted to cook for dinner about six months and we've never been sure that we can that we get that have what you have to do it I haven't heard it. But you've got to assume the amount of privacy that you're going to get is very limited. And for instance this is a house we

regarded as a home. But we know that Ronder around this house and maybe a meeting going on and when rumors of a senator waiting for you in another room. So you've got to be decently dressed to rock around your own home. That's from that standpoint the privacy is gone. What are you feelings about the children in the time that you have to spend with. Revenge rumor time last year with the kids and we had certainly during the campaign you get out with the kids and I used to you know it's another movie better that way and I will buy you almost any time I'm home and have a couple minutes. I would invest in a few games. Robbers can do all kinds of contortions. Really looks more to be a powerhouse.

Another powerhouse in the family is the governor's wife Jean Byrne has raised seven children alone. The legacy of public life right attracted me to him. I guess his intelligentsia his interest in so many things and I know we have found through the years that we do have a common interest in things such as the Opera has an interest in the theatre as Robert just before or after I had landed the job. In the neighborhood theater the neighborhood which was that where you have the joy of a theater and there is your preference. He has a great curiosity about about things he wants to know what makes things the tech and as I say as time went on and people saw him in smaller groups they saw this very ready quick dry sometimes caustic and raw. Ruth as a parent a couple years ago it said that half the people who

record Crassus true to spit at any other Americans occurred as you root for a couple years ago I remember of controversy moving past the tax program and never would see many benefits from it and I really hadn't had a chance to go out on the stump and explain that the people were or I was poor and popular. I suspect I'm a little too shy at least for the business I'm in the profession I mean and I also think that's misinterpreted when out of people for aloofness. When I am generally introspective times when I probably shouldn't have had the advantage of having as I said being in the right place at the right time having the challenges which is sort of a reservoir. If you could characterize how you would like to be remembered that's a difficult question because I'd like to

be remembered for a better educational system and a. Better treatment of the underprivileged in the state. But I don't want to be remembered as the Garley who finally demolished the image of New Jersey as being between New York and Philadelphia and jersey its own identity in its own sense of pride in its own grammar. I think we're doing that and just to do it for the sense of the grammar of New Jersey is relatively meaningless. But if you do it in terms of you bring some to New Jersey and one of the other things improvers sense of pride increases I think you've got a package which is worth being remembered for.