tributes have been pouring in from lawmakers activists and some of the most powerful people in state government including Governor Phil Murphy who noted this week that Michael's reporting helped shape the history of New Jersey for the better I spoke with the governor earlier today about the Legacy Michael left Governor Murphy thanks for coming on to talk about our our friend Michael Aaron I know in your statement about his passing you said you've known him personally for 20 years but I I wonder about the first time you had an interview with him and what you remember about that time and and his questioning first of all good to be with you and I know you were close and your colleagues and many in the core were close to him so we're with you all in spirit as well uh let me just say first this guy was a giant uh smart funny as heck very fair uh in a world where there's not a lot of fairness uh he was a a Paramount uh of fairness um just loved the guy missed him over the past several years I think he kind of went part-time to to slash retire about four years ago and he was very present in my early years as governor and obviously I missed him I spoke with his wife Linda yesterday and we were reminising but back to your question it would would have been about 20 years ago and I was charged charged by then Governor Cody to do a a basically a sup To Nuts review of the pension crisis in New Jersey and that would have been the topic of our first uh interaction and interview I knew Michael longest of anyone in the Press Corps uh and it began about then about 20 years ago and again I can't say enough good things about him and it's a huge loss you know you bring up fairness and a lot of folks have talking about that something that meant a lot to Michael and and that I watched him do was if there was something wrong um he had a lot of Grace in uh making sure that he got it right and went back to the story over and over again uh to double check the facts and the information it's a care that you don't always see and in your time I wonder if you've ever experienced any else who kind of had that stature that he did yeah he was he was unique I mean you say that about people sometimes in this case he was literally unique early on in my time as Governor we would do immediately after the State of the State or a budget address would do a sit-down interview and the first guy we did it with not surprisingly was Michael um I'll give you a funny story Michael came to me after one of these interviews and he said Governor can I get your cell I promise you I will never abuse the fact that you give it to me you have my word and he's the only I mean I trust the guy so much I said you know Michael here's myself here's the story which I've not never told before he never used it he never called me or he never texted me because he was he was very much focused on preserving whatever privacy that uh that that I may have had but yes he he was doggedly in pursuit of the facts calling balls and Strikes uh and and we need more and not less of that do you recall your last conversation with him or is there something that you wish you could have said um oh I wish I could have said a lot I didn't realize he was as sick as he was at the end and Linda described the fact she and I were having this conversation yesterday about sometimes it sounds trite when you say somebody's in a better place uh she said in this case she now understands the depth of that meaning I would reach out to Michael every year on his birthday uh either call or text I know I reached out to him when he hung his clats up uh and with exchange notes um but uh I miss him I miss him and it isn't just that he's gone although that's the bigger more profound loss but he hasn't been on the scene for the past number of years and I think uh we are a lesser strong uh State Administration um Society uh for that that absence and we will be sadly now permanently going forward we'd have to agree there Governor Murphy thanks so much thanks for having me Brianna [Music]