cotoncandydream Posted August 13 Report Share Posted August 13 The Governor's SecretPublished: August 13, 2004Sooner or later, it was bound to happen: a major elected official's calling a press conference to tell constituents that he or she is gay. Yesterday, New Jersey's governor, James McGreevey, described his coming to grips with his sexual orientation with uncommon grace and dignity, offering an extraordinary glimpse into the private torment that can accompany a public life lived in the closet. "My truth is that I am a gay American,'' he said. If that had been the beginning and the end of the story, we would be celebrating Mr. McGreevey's candor, not assessing his resignation. But the story - like Mr. McGreevey's statement - was incomplete.The governor's announcement was reportedly driven by the threat of a sexual harassment lawsuit by a former aide, Golan Cipel. Mr. McGreevey, who has two children from his two marriages and whose wife stood next to him during his press conference, acknowledged that he had committed adultery with another man. He did not say that the man in question had worked for his administration.Gay or straight, that kind of relationship raises troubling questions, apart from the issue of whether it was consensual. Mr. Cipel was originally appointed as the governor's homeland security adviser, a job for which he had no discernable qualifications. If Mr. McGreevey put someone in that critical post because of a personal relationship, that would be an outrage, regardless of his sexual orientation. The timing of the governor's coming out was apparently driven by the potential lawsuit, and the timing of his resignation - Nov. 15 - was driven by a desire to avoid an interim election. As it stands, the State Senate president, Richard Codey, another Democrat, will inherit the executive office until the end of 2005. While the mechanics of trying to hold gubernatorial primaries and an election this year would be daunting, Mr. McGreevey's strategy doesn't serve New Jersey residents well. The state will be led by an embattled governor mired in personal and legal problems for three months. Then, because of the peculiarities of New Jersey's Constitution, Mr. Codey will simultaneously lead the Senate and the executive branch - an enormous amount of power for someone whose voter mandate comes only from a State Senate district in Essex County.Mr. McGreevey's governorship has, in a way, been similar to his dramatic performance yesterday. His goals were noble, and some of his accomplishments laudable - like the millionaire's tax he pushed through as a partial solution to the problem of the state's huge deficit, and his efforts to protect critically important watershed areas. But the story has always been marred by ethical questions swirling around his office. The cast of characters is long, and the details unsavory. They include a trash hauler and fund-raiser charged in a scheme to extort money from a farmer, and another fund-raiser who is accused of using a prostitute to try to silence a witness in a federal investigation. The governor, tape-recorded without his knowledge in a private meeting, was linked to one scandal when he uttered the word "Machiavelli," which prosecutors claimed was a code word. He has maintained that the use of the word was a coincidence.In the murky politics surrounding him, being gay may be the least complicated issue Mr. McGreevey could address - and that may explain why he did not delve into the other troubles in his speech. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labellany Posted August 13 Report Share Posted August 13 I don't understand what the big deal is about that people are making. Big deal he's gay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nomembername Posted August 13 Report Share Posted August 13 I don't understand what the big deal is about that people are making. Big deal he's gay.even though this has been posted a million times...It's not the fact that he is gay that is a big deal...what about he was having an affair on his wife and his lover who he gave positions to that he was not qualified to have (no pun intended) might be pressing sexual harrassment charges against him...good night to all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbbooom Posted August 13 Report Share Posted August 13 Wow! This Is Like So Yesterday Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Codica3 Posted August 13 Report Share Posted August 13 There's something shadier going on than just him being gay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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