Though he served less than three years as the 52nd governor of New Jersey, James E. McGreevey still earned the dubious distinction of becoming one of the most thoroughly investigated governors in New Jersey history.
Following his resignation in Trenton, McGreevey published a memoir entitled The Confession and pursued ordination and obtained a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree from General Theological Seminary in New York City; however, the Episcopal Church did not want him as a priest, and he ultimately returned to the Catholic Church.
State Official 1 has maintained close ties to the wealthy political players who got him in trouble 20 years ago.
Charles Kushner and his wife maxed out on contributions to McGreevey’s mayoral campaign, which had a dozen times as much cash as Jersey City’s City Council President Joyce Watterman raised.
David D’Amiano, a McGreevey fund-raiser, was ultimately sentenced to two years in prison for extorting $40,000 from a farmer, Mark Halper, a Middlesex County landowner cooperating with investigators.
In the 47-page indictment, there are repeated references to the involvement of “State Official 1,” later revealed to be McGreevey.
In a conversation with Halper, McGreevey used the word “Machiavelli,” the code allegedly arranged by D’Amiano, intended to assure the farmer that his $40,000 campaign contribution would get him preferential treatment in a dispute over his land.
There is a curious incongruity between the accusations of corruption leveled against former Governor James McGreevey and his famous 2004 apology for being homosexual, but his campaign for mayor in Jersey City displays amazing consistency with the corrupt manner in which the vanquished crook pursues trust from the public that he betrayed.
McGreevey’s August 12, 2004 resignation as governor “masqueraded as atonement and advanced the image of him as a martyr for gay rights,” according to Justin Eckstein.
McGreevey was accused of corruption in connection with a number of terrible cabinet appointments.
Yet, he apologized for being gay and having a “consensual” affair with his former director of Homeland Security, Golan Cipel, and the hapless media blindly reported the fictional version instead of the truth.
The massive financial advantage landed McGreevey ahead of better candidates, among them the City Council president, a former school board president, and a Hudson County commissioner who served as councilman for a long time.
However, the first place finisher was Councilman James Solomon, and that makes it likely that the corrupt former governor is headed towards defeat when Jersey City voters decide the runoff.
The only thing that matters now is the turnout on December 2, because as it was said long ago, evil can only prevail when enough good people do nothing.
Kushner and a host of other donors who have allowed corruption to plague government in New Jersey, including more than a few Republicans, funded McGreevey in advance of the November general election.
It’s likely that they will avoid the runoff campaign, in which Solomon will probably coalesce support from his former rivals.
However, there is worth in watching for clues, as Trump changed the political world and money often drowns out common sense voices. It’s possible for most residents to forget about voting by December.
Jim McGreevey has yet to come clean about his malignant behavior as governor and mayor in Woodbridge.
His sexual preference is not a disqualification but his fundraising and financial chicanery should convince the voters that anyone else might be a better choice.
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