Christie has taken New Jersey in a different direction and has been more hands-on than a lot of governors, Bennett said.
DiFrancesco, a Republican who led the state in 2001 and 2002, said Christie had sent a good message about New Jersey during his travels around the country that would make people want to come to here to do business.
"The jury is still out," said Democrat Florio, governor from 1990-94, although he gave Christie credit for "clarifying some of the issues."
"Commendably, he has not been someone to pussyfoot around and try to be risk-averse by blurring up the alternatives," Florio said. "He lays out what he wants to do, and whether those are good or bad decisions remains to be seen."
Former Democratic Govs. Richard Codey and Jon S. Corzine had been scheduled to join the "old-timers" panel but could not make the convention.
Florio called Christie's decision to cancel the commuter-rail tunnel project under the Hudson River economically rational, given the depleted condition of the state's Transportation Trust Fund.
But he recommended that Christie "rein things in a little stylistically."
"When you call Bret Schundler a liar," Florio said, referring to the former education commissioner, "that kind of rhetoric doesn't go away, and you've made yourself an enemy forever. . . . A little bit of nuance might be helpful in terms of dealing with people."
DiFrancesco advised the governor and Legislature to become more engaged with each other to solve state problems. That relationship between the governing branches, as well as New Jersey's high property taxes, dominated an afternoon session led by legislative leaders.
