New Jersey Governor Jim McGreevey Resigning?

[Brian Olewnick]

So I'm hearing news bulletins that the governor of my adopted state is set to resign at 4PM ET because of some lawsuit alleging his homosexuality???

Anyone know about this?

[tippy]

Is he married?

[Root Doctor]

I thought it had to do with kickbacks. This is a new wrinkle.

[Brian Olewnick]

He is married. But there was something a couple of years back involving an Israeli citizen hired and fired (with full pay) in some Security capacity that generated whispers. Not sure if this is related.

Did a quick google and found a couple of references by people wondering about his sexuality.

Sounds weird.....

[Ron Thorne]

Apparently he's to hold a news conference within the next few minutes, and CNN is covering it.

It was just reported that he's expected to leave office prior to September 15th, and a lawsuit (details not given) is pending against him. Should be an interesting press conference.

[crawjo]

When I worked for a NJ newspaper during McGreevey's election campaign, there were all sorts of rumors that he was gay, but nobody ever published it. We had many conversations about it in the newsroom, and there were off-the-record sources who told me that he was homosexual.

If true, I fail to see why this should lead to his resignation. Kickbacks, on the other hand...

[Darryl G. Thomas]

There are gays in New Jersey? Who knew?

[Enforcer]

Originally Posted by crawjo

If true, I fail to see why this should lead to his resignation. Kickbacks, on the other hand...

Never underestimate the public's ability to judge politicians by all the wrong criteria.

[Brian Olewnick]

Apparently it's a sexual harrassment lawsuit from that ex-Security person.

[Ron Thorne]

Whoa! What a bombshell. This is definitely a first for me. With his 2nd wife standing alongside, New Jersey Governor James McGreevey "comes out" and states that he is "a gay American" and will resign as governor effective November 15th. He admitted to having a consensual affair with another man, which may indeed be related to a purported lawsuit.

[crawjo]

I'm astonished that he came out, but given what I had heard during his initial campaign the facts themselves don't surprise me in the slightest.

I still don't see why he should resign over something like this.

[Il Anto]

Wow, I want to say something about this. But all I can say is

wow.

[moneyp]

Originally Posted by crawjo

I'm astonished that he came out, but given what I had heard during his initial campaign the facts themselves don't surprise me in the slightest.

I still don't see why he should resign over something like this.

Being a homosexual and lying to your wife isn't grounds for resigning a governorship, of course, but maybe the position is better served without the distractions.

Originally Posted by mone peterson

Being a homosexual and lying to your wife isn't grounds for resigning a governorship, of course, but maybe the position is better served without the distractions.

That would be my guess as to why he's stepping down.

Maybe there's just too much emotional baggage there for him right now, and he doesn't want to let it affect his job performance.

I dunno...............

[Darryl G. Thomas]

Yeah, I don't get it. There are other openly gay politicians. Some of them keep getting re-elected. There's got to be more to this story.

[Ron Thorne]

I think there must be more to the story too, Darryl. He mentioned nothing (no surprise) about any pending lawsuit, but rumors of such abound.

[cookie]

Aug. 12, 2004 | TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- In a stunning declaration, Gov. James E. McGreevey acknowledged that he had an extramarital affair with another man and announced his resignation Thursday. "My truth is that I am a gay American," he said.

"Shamefully, I engaged in adult consensual affairs with another man, which violates my bonds of matrimony," the married father of two said. "It was wrong, it was foolish, it was inexcusable."

The Democrat said his resignation would be effective Nov. 15.

McGreevey said he would step down because his secret -- both his sexuality and his affair -- leaves the governor's office vulnerable.

The former suburban mayor took office 2 1/2 years ago, and despite inheriting a $5 billion budget deficit, he steadfastly refused to boost income taxes for most New Jerseyans, instead raising taxes on millionaires, casinos and cigarettes.

But he has been dogged by several scandals involving fund-raising.

Among those caught up in recent scandals were his first chief of staff and former counsel; a top Democratic fund-raiser and former high school classmate; and real estate developer Charles Kushner, McGreevey's biggest campaign contributor, who was charged with trying to thwart a federal campaign-finance investigation by luring a grand jury witness -- his own brother-in-law -- into a compromising position with a prostitute and sending video and photos to the man's wife.

McGreevey would be the second governor to resign in weeks, following the resignation in June of Connecticut GOP Gov. John Rowland amid corruption investigations and threats of impeachment.

McGreevey rose from suburban mayor to state chief executive by his tenacious pursuit of party politics, maintaining a power base days after he narrowly lost to Republican Christie Whitman in 1997.

McGreevey never truly stopped that campaign until he won in November 2001, beating Republican Bret Schundler by 15 percentage points.

Born in Jersey City, McGreevey graduated from Columbia University in 1978. He earned a law degree from Georgetown University in 1981 and a master's degree in education from Harvard University a year later.

After briefly serving as a county prosecutor, McGreevey became a lobbyist for a pharmaceutical company, then a state government official. While in the Legislature, McGreevey voted for Gov. Jim Florio's $2.8 billion tax hike that prompted a voter rebellion against Democrats.

____________________
Well, now. Strange. To me, not a reason one HAS to resign, but I can understand why he did.

[patricia]

Surely being gay is no reason to resign. It's not as if McGreevey is the only gay man in New Jersey, for God's sake.
There was a situation recently in B.C. Canada in which a prominent member of Parliament resigned, who is gay. But, he didn't resign because he is gay. He resigned because he was at an antiques auction and stole a ring, worth about $40,000 to give as an engagement ring to his partner. It went to court and he was found guilty of grand theft. Some say that the scandal is that he received 100 hours of community service, instead of going to jail, as almost anyone else would, for grand theft. But his being gay has never been an issue.
Getting back to McCreevey. I suspect this has more to do with the other questionable things he's involved himself in, rather than his simply being gay.

[moneyp]

"My truth is that I am a gay American," he said.

Yeah, thank God he's not a gay Canadian or something.

[Brian Olewnick]

Originally Posted by patricia

Surely being gay is no reason to resign. It's not as if McGreevey is the only gay man in New Jersey, for God's sake.
.

Nope, I checked. It's just him.

Originally Posted by mone peterson

"My truth is that I am a gay American," he said.

Yeah, thank God he's not a gay Canadian or something.

Or French.

[cookie]

I feel badly for his family. It's truly tough when a spouse in a hetero marriage comes out (I know several families like this here in Liberaltown, USA). To have it be so public has got to be even tougher. I wish them the very best of luck, all the support they need, and strength of spirit.

[patricia]

Brian and Mone',
It just seems so silly to pick being gay as a reason to resign. For God's sake, if either party wanted to harness a huge voting block, if anything, they would have ALL their gay Governors, Congressmen/women and other government officials court this minority. Holy Doodle!!! This is ridiculous!! Being gay is a fact of life for thousands of Americans, and other nationalities. It's not illegal anymore, thank goodness.
The sad part, as Cookie mentioned, is coming out of the closet, which must have been personally painful. However, a divorce is not the same thing as resigning from public life. One's sexuality plays no part in that, at least it shouldn't. I still think McCreevey's resignation was less about his coming out and more about the other job-related stuff.

[Sergio Zamora]

Oh, come on! If you guys don't get why a politician who had a homosexual affair chooses to resign from office, I just don't know what political reality y'all are living in.

August 12, 2004

McGreevey Describes 'Intensely
Personal Decision' in Speech
By CHRISTINE HAUSER



"I engaged in an adult consensual affair
with another man," Governor James E.
McGreevey said.

With his wife at his side, Gov. James E. McGreevey of New Jersey announced today that he is gay and would resign out of concern over the impact on the governor's office of his disclosure of a sexual relationship with a man.

"I am a gay American,'' Mr. McGreevey said in a short speech that was televised live from Trenton.

"I engaged in an adult consensual affair with another man,'' he said, adding that "it was wrong, it was foolish, it was inexcusable.''

Mr. McGreevey said he was making the intensely personal announcement that he is gay known for the first time in a public statement because he feared that keeping silent would open up the governor's office to rumors, accusations and threats. "So I am removing these threats by telling you directly about my sexuality,'' he said.

"I have decided the right course of action is to resign,'' he said. He added that his resignation would be effective on November 15.

Mr. McGreevey expressed pride and gratitude in discussing his two marriages and children - a daughter from his first marriage and a daughter with his current wife, Dina.

But he said that throughout his life he had "grappled'' with his sexual identity, and had worked hard to make sure that he was accepted as a part of "traditional family.''

"I forced what I thought was an acceptable reality unto myself,'' he said.

He added that at this point in his life, as a 47-year old man, it was time for him to "look deeply into the mirror.''

He said that he had caused pain, suffering and anguish to his family.

"I would almost rather have this moment pass,'' he said.

[Brian Olewnick]

As others have suggested, I'd bet that there's something more to this, something in the lawsuit that the general public is likely to find more sordid than homosexuality.

Call me cynical, but I'd also bet that his other recent problems made this public decision a lot easier. His ratings were at an extremely low point recently due to a number of sleazy scandals, some of which involved organized crime (in New Jersey!?! Shocking!!). If, as crawjo states above, his sexuality was the subject of newsroom scuttlebutt, I assume there was some basis for it aside from reporters guessing. If it was a known quantity for some time (like Koch's in NYC), I doubt the reality of it happened to hit McGreevey last week, causing him to come forward. ie, had he been running at 70% popularity, I kinda doubt he'd have resigned today.

[steve(thelil)]

My gerbils aren't talking.

Originally Posted by steve(thelil)

My gerbils aren't talking.

Give 'em a break--wear shorts!

[cookie]

Oh, I certainly don't think he resigned merely because he's gay nor even because he lied to his wife about it. It does seem there was plenty of scandal and this was more of a way to just "get it over with" rather than letting it play out over the long term.

[Captain Hate]

Originally Posted by Sergio Zamora

Oh, come on! If you guys don't get why a politician who had a homosexual affair chooses to resign from office, I just don't know what political reality y'all are living in.

Political reality == oxymoron