Accusations and Denials

The conversation between Ms. Zimmer and Ms. Guadagno occurred the following Monday. She has said Ms. Zimmer’s version of their talk is “not only false, but is illogical.”

In the fall, the governor’s office called Ms. Zimmer’s office to set up a meeting with two state officials: Marc Ferzan, who oversees New Jersey’s hurricane recovery and rebuilding efforts, and Michele Brown, who oversees economic development. To the mayor’s office, the meeting, which was postponed, was another example of the Christie administration’s tying hurricane aid to the Rockefeller project.

Mr. Reed, the governor’s spokesman, said that was a mischaracterization. “It’s common practice for members of the Christie administration to jointly meet with officials from Sandy-impacted communities across New Jersey,” he said, noting that Ms. Brown’s agency also has a major role in distributing hurricane relief money.

Ms. Zimmer has also alleged that, in a separate meeting in December, Mr. Ferzan linked Hoboken’s prospects for receiving aid to her appetite for development. A spokesman for the governor said that Mr. Ferzan denied drawing any such connection.

Privately, representatives of Rockefeller Group say they were taken aback by the mayor’s accusations, especially after their cooperation with the city on flood planning. And just a few days before she first discussed her meeting with Ms. Guadagno, on Jan. 18 on MSNBC, Ms. Zimmer met with company representatives in her office. They presented their latest plans, scaled back to 1.5 million square feet of office space, down from 1.8 million, with a possible future apartment building and no buildings taller than the W Hotel.

Last week, the mayor invited the public to view plans for protecting Hoboken from floods should it get the necessary funding. City officials said it was merely a set of ideas, not concrete plans.

But the Rockefeller Group representatives could not help thinking that the proposal was sending a message. In the drawings, one of the company’s three blocks had become a retention pond.