 Governor James E. McGreevey was joined by his wife, Dina, and father, Jack, at yesterday's news conference. (AP Photo / Brian Branch Price) |
N.J. governor resigns, citing affair with manNEW YORK -- In a stunning announcement with personal and political dimensions, Governor James E. McGreevey of New Jersey, a married father of two, yesterday publicly acknowledged he had an extramarital affair with a man and said he would resign his office.
With his wife, Dina, by his side, McGreevey, 47, spoke calmly in the capitol in Trenton of a lifelong struggle with his sexuality. At the end of his remarks, the first-term governor, whose administration has been beset by financial scandals, said he would resign effective Nov. 15 to allow time for a smooth transition to Senate President Richard J. Codey, a fellow Democrat who will serve as acting governor until McGreevey's term ends in early 2006. ''My truth is that I am a gay American," McGreevey said. ''Throughout my life, I have grappled with my own identity, who I am. As a young child, I often felt ambivalent about myself, in fact, confused. By virtue of my traditions, and my community, I worked hard to ensure that I was accepted as part of the traditional family of America." Rumors had been swirling about McGreevey's sexuality in recent years, reaching the level of discussion on New Jersey talk radio shows. The man believed to be involved in the affair is a former state employee who several weeks ago said that unless he was paid ''millions of dollars," he would file a sexual harassment lawsuit against the governor, a political adviser to McGreevey told the Associated Press. Administration officials found out about that Wednesday night, according to a high-ranking state official. McGreevey said he accepted moral responsibility for what he called a consensual relationship with a man he did not identify. The Associated Press and New York area media identified him as Golan Cipel, 33, an Israeli citizen who served briefly as a homeland security aide to the governor until a year ago. A phone number for Cipel could not be located, the AP said, and he could not be reached for comment. ''Shamefully, I engaged in adult consensual affairs with another man, which violates my bonds of matrimony," he said. ''It was wrong, it was foolish, it was inexcusable. And for this, I ask the forgiveness and the grace of my wife." The governor also tried to make it clear he was not resigning because of his sexual orientation, or the financial scandals. The nation has never before had an openly gay governor. ''It makes little difference that as governor I am gay. In fact, having the ability to truthfully set forth my identity might have enabled me to be more forthright in fulfilling and discharging my constitutional obligations," McGreevey said. ''Given the circumstances surrounding the affair and its likely impact upon my family and my ability to govern, I have decided the right course of action is to resign." Several individuals close to McGreevey have been named in corruption scandals. In one of them, real estate developer Charles Kushner, McGreevey's biggest campaign contributor, has been charged with trying to thwart a federal campaign finance investigation by sending a prostitute to a grand jury witness and showing the man's wife -- Kushner's sister -- images of the encounter. McGreevey suggested it was unusual for someone his age to declare his sexuality, and do so publicly. ''I do not believe that God tortures any person simply for its own sake. I believe that God enables all things to work for the greater good. And this, the 47th year of my life, is arguably too late to have this discussion. But it is here, and it is now." The governor took no questions after making his statement at a hastily called news conference. His wife stood beside him, staring with a fixed smile, and his parents stood behind him. A spokesman for McGreevey declined to answer questions about whether the governor would remain married. Dina McGreevey is his second wife. Political specialists and gay rights activists voiced a range of reactions, from shock to respect. ''This will be a case study in crisis management forever more," said Costas Panagopoulos, the director of a graduate program in political campaign management at New York University. ''We've had other moments like this in American politics, but nothing quite at this level. This is a reality that many American elected officials have probably faced, but not with the degree of urgency that the governor was probably faced with. It's clear that some allegations were to be made public." Michael Adams, a spokesman for Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, a gay rights organization, said: ''It was a pretty amazing announcement. Today, Governor McGreevey took his first step toward leading a full life as a gay person. Among other things, we are hoping the very open and human way of making his announcement might help even more Americans support gay people who have been making that decision for many years." Adams said New Jersey has been in the forefront of protecting gay rights, but he said McGreevey's own record has been mixed. ''He has been very supportive of domestic partnership rights, but has not been supportive to date of marriage rights for gay couples," he said. Two political analysts said they doubted that McGreevey's resignation would have much effect on the outcome of the presidential race in New Jersey, which has been reliably Democratic in recent elections. ''This is a personal scandal. It doesn't have anything discernible to do with governing or party politics," said Democratic analyst Rick Thigpen. ''In New Jersey, [US Senator] Jon Corzine is in charge of the Kerry campaign, not Jim McGreevey. I think for Kerry, it may make things easier, because now there won't be a Democratic governor with questions over his head." This month's Quinnipiac survey found that a slight majority of New Jersey voters -- 53 percent -- said the corruption scandals gave them serious concerns about McGreevey's honesty and integrity. Another 31 percent said the opposite. The survey also showed McGreevey's approval rating dropping to 38 percent.
Glen Johnson reported from Boston. Material from the Associated Press was also used. © Copyright 2004 Globe Newspaper Company.
|
