Newark mayor Cory Booker and New Jersey Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek have quite the feud brewing, but it's concert tickets — or lack thereof — that could have Booker really hot under the collar.
Booker blasted Vanderbeek this past week in the wake of an arbitration ruling related to the Devils' lease at the Prudential Center.
"What Jeff Vanderbeek has proven after five years of trying to work with him [is] that he is a highfalutin, high-class huckster and hustler," Booker said at a news conference. "He came into the city with a mouthful of promises, but a pocket full of lies."
Booker now has another gripe, though, as the mayor said Vanderbeek denied his request for seats to next month's sold-out Bruce Springsteen concert at the Prudential Center, according to the New Jersey Star-Ledger.
Arena officials immediately offered a copy of a March 22 private e-mail request from the mayor's campaign staff for tickets — a communication that probably would have been kept confidential under normal circumstances — after a reporter asked whether any elected officials sought tickets to the concert.
The e-mail reportedly stated that Booker "would like to attend the Bruce Springsteen concert with a group of his family. I completely understand this is on high demand and probably sold out. Do you know if there is at least 4 tickets? Originally he asked for 10, if they are available which I doubt it, please let me know if you can get us those tickets for him. I will get his credit card as soon as you let me know how many are available."
Booker has since called the e-mail's release "petty," expressing displeasure over the denial. A spokesman for the arena has reportedly said that Booker's statement is "simply is not true" when asked if Prudential Center denied the ticket request.
