By all accounts, Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer and Gov. Chris Christie had a solid, yet unorthodox relationship.

Zimmer, a Democrat, supported many of the Republican governor’s policies, such as sick day and tax reform, and invited him to speak in her city on several occasions. In 2011, Christie played a crucial role in the sale of Hoboken University Medical Center, a move, had it not occurred, that could have had dire implications for the city’s finances.

In May of the same year, Zimmer even said that had the election been that day, she would have endorsed Christie for re-election (She later declined to do so, citing a non-partisan election in Hoboken.)

So it came as a shock today when Zimmer accused the Christie administration of pressuring her to support a redevelopment on the north side of the city, and withholding crucial Hurricane Sandy recovery funding when she failed to do so.

Christie's administration immediately rejected the accusations, calling them “categorically false.”

“She was saying she was very distraught about these conversations, yet she hasn’t talked about them until eight months later to a media outlet,” said Department of Community Affairs spokeswoman Lisa Ryan. “She hasn’t gone to law enforcement or (other) authorities.”

The 45-year-old Hudson County mayor rose to political prominence only recently.

Born in Maryland and raised in New Hampshire, Zimmer graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1990 with a degree in history. She taught English at a private language school in Japan from 1990 to 1993.

She served on the Hoboken City Council from 2007 to 2009, where she mounted an unsuccessful mayor bid against Peter Cammarano. When Cammarano was arrested on corruption charges in July 2009, a month after taking office, Zimmer was appointed mayor by the city council, a position she retained by winning a special election later.

In her first term, Zimmer was praised for her fiscal management. Hoboken fell under state supervision in 2008, when it had a deficit of more $11 million, but by the end of Zimmer's first term, the city had a balanced budget.

But two other things allowed Zimmer to become more prominently visible on the statewide political scene — the same two things her accusations center around — her relationship with the Christie administration and Hurricane Sandy.

Zimmer became a frequent supporter of the governor on several of his key policy items, becoming a member of the cadre of Democrats Christie courted throughout his first term. Christie returned the favor in 2011 when he offered $5 million of state money to facilitate the sale of Hoboken University Medical Center, which was bankrupt.

When Hurricane Sandy devastated New Jersey, 80 percent of Hoboken flooded. Zimmer became a face of recovery efforts in the coming months, was highly praised for her leadership and was later appointed to President Obama’s Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force.

What happened next between Zimmer and the Christie administration remains unclear.

Besides opting not to endorse Christie for re-election, there have been no public signs that their relationship changed. Even today, she praised the administration despite the accusations she leveled against two of its top brass.

In May 2011, Zimmer was asked if she would endorse Christie for re-election.

“If the election was tomorrow, yes,” she replied. “But there’s two more years. A lot can happen in two years.”