Back to Corruption Junction
Unlike yesterday, when I was laughling about a particularly poor article in a local paper (laughling because a dozen or so links spoke louder than the article’s words), today I’m back to rounidng up the NJ scandal articles. But before we start, Jim has McGreevey at the bakery
Starting with the NYPost: JERSEY POLS PUSH FOR BACKUP GOV POSITION, and the Star Ledger says this is The moment for reform. John McLaughlin sees it as A chance for Codey, a loss for the bosses, while Roberto notices that Codey Has Work To Do since Cipel’s cousin still has his job. Bob Ingle believes McGreevey hangers-on will sink Codey’s ship. The Jersey Journal wants to First get the governor out of office
Assembly Speaker Albio Sires, D-West New York, is pushing legislation to create the post of lieutenant governor, who would be next in line should the governor be unable to serve.
It is all nothing more than an attempt by the state Democratic Party to make the public believe they are ahead of this scandalous issue. The real first order of business, as this newspaper has insisted, is to get McGreevey out of office now and not on a date of his choosing. McGreevey’s resignation is about as selfish as picking a completely unqualified individual, for purely personal reasons, to head up the state’s homeland security agency. It is too lengthy to even discuss his administration’s problems with a federal probe
Were it only one federal probe.
The Glouster Times finally noticed that when it comes to the state budget, the Governor takes hit on math, but we were talking about it here last week.
The Trenton Times also has a most interesting headline: Looks like Cipel lawsuit was a bluff
The most unfathomable aspect of L’affaire McGreevey is that Golan Cipel and Allen Lowy apparently bluffed the governor into resigning.
For almost three years, Gov. James E. McGreevey gave every indication they would have to pry his cold, dead hands off the governor’s desk. And then with lightning strike in an empty sky, McGreevey announced he was gay, had had an adulterous affair with a man and was resigning.
The bolt was sparked by Cipel, McGreevey’s erstwhile “special counsel for nothing” threatening a sexual harassment suit against the governor. McGreevey maintains the relationship was consensual and the lawsuit threat was blackmail. Cipel and his lawyer, Lowy, claim McGreevey attacked and intimidated Cipel.
Today is the apparent deadline for Cipel to file a claim and it appears no suit will be brought.
The article points out
When Richard Nixon resigned, he was gone the next day. As president, Nixon didn’t have much going on at the time – the Cold War, Vietnam, the oil crisis, soaring unemployment and a stalled economy – so a responsible transition was easy to facilitate.
McGreevey is busy appointing commissions, signing bills and flirting with campaign finance reform.
The Trenton Times this headline: N.J. GOP focus is on 2 races, the presidential and the gubernatorial. Not that the gubernatorial is going to take place this year unless the people of NJ persuade Gov. James E. McGreevey to leave office and allow a special election to be held to fill the remaining year of his term. As this article explains, Scandal-weary N.J. shrugs off controversies: “People have left the civic world,” said Heather Taylor, spokeswoman for Common Cause, a political reform group. “Citizens are not taking care of their own house”. It’s time to take care of our own house:
To prod Gov. McGreevey, and the Democrats, in the direction of this unfamiliar moral high ground, we urge the public to flood them with letters, telephone calls and e-mails demanding an early exit. Time is of the essence. A selection of addresses and numbers follows:
Gov. James E. McGreevey, P.O. Box 001, State House, Trenton NJ 08625-0001. Telephone, 609-292-6000. Fax, 609-292-3454.
Sen. Jon Corzine, U.S. Senate, 502 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510-3004. Telephone, 202-224-4744. Fax, 202-228-2197.
Sen. Frank Lautenberg, U.S. Senate, 324 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510-3003. Telephone, 202-224-3224. Fax, 202-228-4054.
Rep. Rush Holt, 1019 Longworth Building, Washington DC 20515. Telephone, 202-225-5801. Fax, 202-225-6025.
Sen. Shirley Turner, senturner@njleg.org, 1440 Pennington Rd., Trenton NJ 08618. Telephone 609-530-3277. Fax, 609-530-3292.
Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, asmgusciora@njleg.org, 226 W. State St., Trenton NJ 08608. Telephone 609-292-0500. Fax, 609-633-2179.
Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, aswwatsoncoleman@njleg.org, 226 W. State St., Trenton NJ 08608. Telephone, 609-292-0500. Fax, 609-633-2179.
Assemblywoman Linda Greenstein, aswgreenstein@njleg.org, 7 Centre Dr., Suite 2, Monroe NJ 08831-1565. Telephone, 609-395-9911. Fax, 609-395-9032.
Sen. Ellen Karcher, senkarcher@njleg.org, 400 W. Main St., Freehold NJ 07728. Telephone, 732-462-8883.
Assemblyman Robert Morgan, asmmorgan@njleg.org, The Galleria, 2 Bridge Ave., Bldg. 2, 2nd Floor, Red Bank NJ 07701. Telephone, 732-741-5599. Fax, 732-741-0012.
Assemblyman Michael Panter, asmpanter@njleg.org, The Galleria, 2 Bridge Ave., Bldg. 2, 2nd Floor, Red Bank NJ 07701. Telephone, 732-741-5599. Fax, 732-741-0012.
