In New Jersey, sympathy for McGreevey mixed with skepticism about his motives

CAMDEN, N.J. -- New Jersey residents, rocked by the resignation of Governor James E. McGreevey, who Thursday announced he was gay and had committed adultery with a man, expressed admiration yesterday for his candor about his sexuality, but speculated that more than that relationship led to the resignation.

While residents interviewed in the southern part of the state said they waited for another revelation to come out, state Republican leaders called for McGreevey to leave office immediately so that he could be replaced through a special election on Nov. 2.

McGreevey said he would resign effective Nov. 15, timing that would allow for Senate President Richard J. Codey, a Democratic legislator for more than 30 years, to take his place and serve through early 2006.

''It will be extremely difficult for him and his administration to govern effectively over the course of the next three months," said Joe Kyrillos, chairman of the state Republican Party.

Kyrillos said he also believed there will be more ''awkward stories in the days and weeks to come," and indicated that the possibility is another reason McGreevey should quit immediately.

Republican lawyers said they were considering legal options to force McGreevey to resign earlier.

Under the state Constitution, McGreevey could be removed from office only if he were impeached. That would require a two-thirds vote in the Assembly and a trial in the Senate. Democrats control both chambers.

Meanwhile, the FBI was investigating McGreevey's allegation that a former employee, Golan Cipel, tried to blackmail him, according to the Associated Press. The native of Israel served briefly as a homeland security adviser to the governor. McGreevey did not identify the man with whom he said he had a consensual relationship, but the governor's aides indicated it was Cipel.

In a statement read by his lawyer, Allen M. Lowy, Cipel disputed McGreevey's characterization of the relationship. ''While employed by one of the most powerful politicians in the country, New Jersey Governor McGreevey, I was the victim of repeated sexual advances by him," Cipel said in the statement, which Lowy read at a news conference in New York City. Lowy also charged that his client was the victim of a smear campaign. Cipel did not attend the news conference.

In South Jersey, across the Delaware River from Philadelphia, Sharon Jackson of Audubon said she thinks Republicans have ''a good idea about an immediate resignation. He needs to straighten out his personal life. I think family comes first, regardless of your job, and I think right now that should be his priority."

Jackson, a school district secretary who was shopping in Cherry Hill, added: ''He did a good job. I have nothing against him. What he did -- everybody's human. What he did to rectify it was very good."

Calling McGreevey's revelations the ''talk of the town," Curtis Tate, a substance abuse counselor at a methadone treatment clinic in Camden, said, ''It took a lot of courage -- but you know there's a lot more to it, job-wise. There must be some underlying things."

Tate, 42, said he was skeptical of the Republican call for a special election.

''The politics are in a state of turmoil. Maybe we shouldn't rush to have an election. Maybe we need to sit back and take a breath of air before we figure out which way we're going to go."

Chris Sedia, 40, of Hammonton, who works as drug counselor at the same clinic, noted that McGreevey ''had a smile on his face. It was like all this weight is off his shoulders."

Said Sedia, ''His wife has to bear the brunt of this. But it amazed me how relieved he looked. I've got to tip my hat to him. Some people will probably beat him to death about this, and people that applaud him for it. . . . But he handled it with class and dignity. What can you do?"

Pam Wells, 37, an accountant at Rutgers University who lives near Glassboro, said it was ''very unfortunate he had to resign under these circumstances."

Wells said ''rumors had been out there for a while" about McGreevey's homosexuality, but when she first heard about the resignation, she thought it was connected to recent investigations surrounding his administration.

McGreevey's former top aide was charged with insider trading. One fund-raiser was charged with obstruction of justice, and another with extortion.

''I thought it was the investigations because with diversity, people are able to handle someone being gay," said Wells.

Bob Neese, 52, a finance officer who lives in the Cherry Hill area, said: ''This is not about gay. There seems to be a notion that McGreevey had a whole lot of stuff biting at him now. I think our view is there is more to come."

''I think it was being gay that caused him to have to resign," said Becky Wagoner, a sophomore studying history at Rutgers University.

''In society, with gay people, they pretty much have less rights than us . . . For someone to feel like they have to resign because he had an affair and because he's gay, I think it's kind of sad."

Wagoner praised McGreevey's courage in making the public announcement.

Ron Golden, 61, a security officer at the US Courthouse in Camden, agreed. ''I thought it took guts for him to lay everything out for people," he said. ''Most politicians I know want to duck and dodge."