Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell resigns after report cites ethics violations

Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell has resigned, less than 24 hours after the Sherrill administration released a bombshell report accusing Caldwell of sexual harassment and multiple ethical lapses.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill said Caldwell submitted his resignation Friday afternoon and she accepted it.

“Public service, holding the public trust, is a privilege, not a right. I feel deeply that it is a commitment by elected officials to serve the people, not their own self-interest,” Sherrill (D)  told reporters at the Statehouse in Trenton Friday. “To honor that commitment, public servants must abide by the highest ethical standards. Those standards apply to everyone, regardless of their title.”

Caldwell (D), who was elected along with Sherrill in November and took office in January, made crass remarks to women subordinates, repeatedly attempted to get a promotion for a state worker he was dating, and took uninvited guests to seven ticketed events without permission or payment, the report released Thursday says.

The findings came four months after an anonymous ethics complaint drove Sherrill to enlist former New Jersey Attorney General Chris Porrino to conduct an independent investigation. Asked whether she would refer his findings to the attorney general’s office or any other authorities, Sherrill said she had been focused on getting Caldwell out of office, and her administration would determine later whether to push for further penalties.

Caldwell has denied wrongdoing.

Shirley Emehelu, the state comptroller, will replace Caldwell as secretary of state.

“We are just 39 days away from the midterm elections,” Sherrill said. “It is of paramount importance that our elections run smoothly and that New Jerseyans have confidence in the officials overseeing them.”

Voters concerned about what impact the leadership change might have on election integrity should worry more about President Donald Trump, Sherrill added.

“I have deep concerns about all the ways the President will try to use his federal power to undermine our elections. He has been attempting to get access to our voter rolls and private voter data since I took office,” Sherrill said.

Emehelu, who stood at Sherrill’s side Friday, said she has more than two decades of experience upholding the rule of law in her previous jobs at the U.S. Department of Justice and the state Attorney General’s Office.

“Even though the leadership might look different, Governor Sherrill’s commitment is the same. New Jersey elections will be conducted freely, fairly, and with integrity. Every eligible voter will have the chance to cast a ballot, and every legal ballot will be counted,” Emelehu said.

Sherrill said she would name a new lieutenant governor within the next 45 days, someone with “a dedication to the people of New Jersey” who is “focused on the public good.”

“This is a little bit of a new area for New Jersey, so we’re going to ensure that we get legal opinions and follow the process there,” she said.

The Legislature’s Democratic leaders welcomed Caldwell’s resignation as “the right thing to do.”

“Continued service would hinder the effective execution of the duties assigned to the Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State,” said Sen. Nicholas Scutari (D-Union), who is Senate president. “Stepping down is in the best interests of our residents and the integrity of public office.”

Assemblyman Craig Coughlin (D-Middlesex), who serves as Assembly speaker, seconded Scutari.

“We must ensure the work of governing is uninterrupted and that serving the people of New Jersey remains a top priority,” Coughlin said. “I support Governor Sherrill’s commitment to hold public officials to the highest standards and her work to bring this matter to a swift resolution, enabling us to move forward in the best interests of the state.”

Republicans applauded Caldwell’s departure too, but Senate Republican Leader Anthony Bucco (R-Morris) said questions remain and that the Sherrill administration should release all investigatory records with minimal redactions.

“This administration has been mired in chaos from the start and has lacked transparency in its conduct. But now that the Lieutenant Governor has agreed to resign, there is no reason to hide behind secrecy. The public deserves full disclosure. All records, reports, and internal communications related to these allegations and the investigation should be made available to the public as soon as possible,” Bucco said. “The public has a right to know.”

The Assembly’s Republican leader, John DiMaio, also blasted Sherrill’s “failure to vet the man she chose to stand one heartbeat from the governorship” and proposed that whoever Sherrill picks to replace Caldwell get an OK from legislators first.

“She announced Caldwell as her running mate 45 days after the primary. Now she has 45 days to choose his replacement,” DiMaio said. “To avoid another disaster, Sherrill should ask her choice to appear publicly before Senate and Assembly committees. The appointment does not require legislative confirmation, but after Caldwell, the governor cannot expect New Jerseyans to simply take her word that she got the vetting right this time.”

Sherrill dismissed Republicans’ criticism as sour grapes.

“I think members of the GOP are not happy because they’ve had to duck and cover for years now, because the President of the United States, the head of their party, is the most corrupt individual in politics, has enriched himself to the tune of billions of dollars, is raising gas prices about $5 a barrel, and because of a war that he can’t explain, can’t get out of, he continues to try to steal an election,” she said. “They’re probably unhappy because we are running an incredibly competent government here in New Jersey, which I think stands in such sharp contrast to everything we see at the federal level.”

She said Caldwell’s investigation and resignation should reassure the public that she’s intent on making a “culture change” in state government.

“There has been a culture in Trenton, probably since the birth of our nation, to sweep this under the rug. You can speak to numerous people who’ve worked in the Statehouse for decades, who felt this day would never come, that allegations would never be taken seriously, action would never be taken, and victims would just have to either quit their job or move on. That is not the kind of government I’m running,” Sherrill said.