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yesthattomThe blackmail worked in getting McGreevey to step down, but failed in the major goal of forcing a Gubernatorial special-election (which the Republicans would have an advantage.) IMHO this is a major “save” by the Dems, who will retain the governorship, since the current president of the senate is a Dem. (There is no Lt. Gov position in New Jersey).
NEW YORK (AP) -- A former aide who claims New Jersey Gov. James E. McGreevey sexually harassed him will not sue the governor, the man’s lawyer said Monday.The governor’s resignation announcement was sufficient admission of his wrongdoing and the dispute was never about money, said lawyer Rachel Yosevitz, attorney for Golan Cipel.
McGreevey announced August 12 that he is gay and would resign from office because he had an extramarital affair with a man. Administration sources identified the other man in the relationship as Cipel.
McGreevey has said the relationship with consensual.
But Cipel, McGreevey’s former homeland security adviser, denied that he is gay and insisted that he had been sexually harassed and pressured by the governor from the time he first went to work for him.
Another Cipel lawyer, Allen Lowy, said that he had notified attorneys for the governor in July that he intended to file a sexual harassment lawsuit against McGreevey on behalf of Cipel.
A series of negotiations between Lowy and McGreevey’s attorneys took place over the following several weeks, but no settlement could be reached and the governor eventually made his resignation announcement.
Legal experts said Lowy had until Monday to file a sexual harassment lawsuit because the statute of limitations for such complaints is two years and Cipel left the state payroll at the end of August 2002.
Meanwhile, the New Jersey Republican delegation unanimously passed a resolution saying McGreevey should resign immediately so a special election can be held in November and asking Democratic Sen. Jon Corzine to use his influence and call on the governor to step down now.
“This governor has an obligation, an obligation to the citizens of this state to put the citizens ahead of partisan politics. He needs to step down now,” said former Republican Gov. Christie Whitman at the delegation’s meeting.
“And Jon Corzine, if you want to be governor of the state of New Jersey, take it from me, you have to have leadership,” Whitman said. “And leadership means standing up and saying today, ‘Governor McGreevey, you need to step aside.”’
Corzine has said that if a special election were to be held this year, he is prepared to run.
However, Corzine has said that McGreevey is firm in his decision to remain in office until November 15, which means the gubernatorial election would be held next year. If McGreevey leaves office before September 3, a special election would be held on November 2.
McGreevey set the November deadline for leaving office in his August 12 announcement.
