If McGreevey left before Sept. 13, it would trigger a special election. If he steps down afterward, the Democratic Senate president can serve out the governor's term.

"Regardless of the governor's personal issues, he can no longer effectively govern the state," said Brian Nelson, executive director of the New Jersey Republican State Committee, who threatened to sue to force a quick resignation.

That, in turn, would give the state's most powerful Democrat, Sen. Jon S. Corzine (news, bio, voting record), time to consider whether he wants to run for governor. "The field is open to Corzine," Shure said. "It's clear that the Democratic strategists around the governor feel the party is better off leaving the selection until next year."

N.J. Governor Resigns, Admits Gay Affair
By JOHN P. McALPIN
Associated Press Writer

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) -- Gov. James E. McGreevey, a one-time rising Democratic star and twice-married father, announced his resignation with the startling disclosure that he is gay and had an extramarital affair with a man that he said threatened to undermine his "ability to govern."

"My truth is that I am a gay American," McGreevey said Thursday at a news conference with his second wife by his side. He described decades of sexual confusion that dogged him through two marriages and ultimately led him to an act he called "wrong, foolish and inexcusable."

"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," he said, without elaborating on what the circumstances were.

McGreevey, 47, refused to answer questions. He said "it makes little difference that as governor I am gay," but added that staying in office and keeping the affair and his sexual orientation secret will leave the governor's office "vulnerable to rumors, false allegations and threats of disclosure."

McGreevey said his resignation would be effective Nov. 15.

Two sources close to McGreevey, both speaking on condition of anonymity, said the man involved in the affair was Golan Cipel, an Israeli poet who met the governor during a trip to Israel.

One source, a senior McGreevey political adviser, said Cipel threatened McGreevey several weeks ago that unless he was paid "millions of dollars," Cipel would file a lawsuit against the governor charging him with sexual harassment.

Cipel could not be reached for comment. An FBI spokesman did not confirm reports that McGreevey's office called the bureau on Thursday to complain about Cipel asking for money.

Across New Jersey, people listened to their radios or gathered around TV sets to listen to McGreevey's live news conference, and many were left in shock.

"It's a shame," said Jim Nerney, 48, of Middletown. "He brought a lot of passion to the governor's office, but the fact is that it's not accepted in today's society and he's paying the consequences."

"His sexual orientation doesn't matter to me. I feel he's done a good job, holding the line on taxes," said Donald Bowman, 52, of Kearny, a school district worker in Newark.

Senate President Richard J. Codey, a Democrat, will become acting governor and serve out the remainder of McGreevey's term, which ends in early 2006.If McGreevey were to leave office before Nov. 15, a special election would be held.

Former Republican Gov. Christie Whitman said McGreevey "made a courageous decision" but criticized his plan to wait until Nov. 15 to leave office, saying it "smacks of politics." She said it "would be in the best interests of the state" for the governor to step aside immediately.

Gay rights groups expressed support and compassion for McGreevey, but their reactions were tinged with sorrow because McGreevey announced his resignation just as he became the nation's first openly gay governor.

"It is a very sad to thing to watch. It is kind of stunning, sad to me that in 2004 people are still having to struggle because of homophobia in society to come to terms with who they are," said Kevin Cathcart, executive director of Lambda Legal.

McGreevey had a daughter with his first wife, Kari, who lives in British Columbia with the child. He has another daughter with his current wife, Dina. McGreevey spokesman Micah Rasmussen declined to answer any questions about the future of McGreevey's marriage.

On Friday, George Zoffinger, a McGreevey friend and state official, told ABC's "Good Morning America" he had dinner with the governor after his announcement.

"I think he has a real sense of relief in that he has gotten this off his shoulders," said Zoffinger, chairman of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority.

McGreevey rose from mayor of suburban Woodbridge to state chief executive by his tenacious pursuit of party politics, winning the Statehouse in November 2001 by beating Republican Bret Schundler by 15 percentage points.

Despite inheriting a $5 billion budget deficit, he steadfastly refused to boost income taxes for most New Jerseyans. He instead raised taxes on millionaires, casinos and cigarettes and provided millions of dollars worth of property tax rebates that have been showing up in residents' mailboxes in recent weeks.

A former altar boy, he proudly discussed his Roman Catholic faith but publicly disagreed with church leaders over his support for abortion rights and same-sex partnerships. He pushed for the state's domestic-partnership law, which went into effect this year.

Scandal marred McGreevey's tenure following questions over a series of questionable appointments, including the naming of Cipel to the newly created post of homeland security adviser without any background check or official announcement.

Amid questions about what Cipel did to earn his $110,000 salary and in March 2002, he was reassigned to a "special counsel" job. A few months later, Cipel left his government position.

McGreevey also came under fire in 2002 for hiring a state police superintendent who had a criminal record. Last year, two former aides were targeted in a federal probe investigating whether they used their political ties to secure business for their billboard company.

This year, a Democratic fund-raiser and former high school classmate of McGreevey's was charged with trying to extort campaign donations from a farmer in exchange for help in selling his land.

Last month, the governor's commerce secretary quit amid reports he funneled money to businesses he owned with family members, and McGreevey's top campaign donor was charged with conspiracy, obstructing a federal investigation and promoting prostitution.

McGreevey's administration did have its victories, exemplified most recently by legislation signed this week to protect the water supply in the Highlands section of northern and western New Jersey.

"Today's announcement should not detract from Gov. McGreevey's accomplishments on behalf of the people of New Jersey - from protecting our environment and promoting stem cell research, to fighting sprawl and easing the tax burden for millions of hardworking people," said Sen. Jon Corzine, D-N.J., who has been mentioned as a possible gubernatorial candidate

Unusual pick raised eyebrows
August 13, 2004
BY JOHN RILEY, STAFF WRITER

From the start, there were questions about Golan Cipel.

Cipel, the man sources said yesterday was behind New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey's decision to resign because of a homosexual affair, was named to a $110,000-a-year post as the governor's homeland security aide shortly after McGreevey took office in 2002.

He was an Israeli citizen who McGreevey said he had met during a visit to the Middle East. At the time, he was reportedly working as the spokesman for the mayor of the Israeli city of Rishon Le Zion. He was, according to news reports, a published poet. He had been a sailor in the Israeli Army. He had served as an information officer in the Israeli consulate in New York.

Cipel had been sponsored for a work visa and given a job in 2001 by real estate developer Charles Kushner, McGreevey's biggest political donor, recently indicted for hiring prostitutes as part of a scheme to scuttle a federal prosecution into fund-raising. And he had worked on McGreevey's campaign.

So he had connections. But no one in New Jersey quite understood how any of that qualified him to be the state's security chief in the wake of Sept. 11. Especially since, as an Israeli, he couldn't get the clearances necessary to review any classified information. Republicans were infuriated.

By March, he was gone -- shifted by McGreevey, under political pressure, to a $110,000-a-year job as "special counsel" to the governor. "I'm glad the governor finally read his resume," quipped Sen. William L. Gormley, head of the state senate's judiciary committee.

But the new job didn't end the controversy. News reports continued to question exactly what Cipel was doing, and whether he was doing anything at all -- or even showing up for work. By August, he had resigned. Reporters, never sure what he had been doing, wanted to know if he would be replaced.

"We are reviewing our staffing needs," a McGreevey spokesman said.

It was an eight-month tenure that revived rumor-mongering among political insiders about McGreevey's sexual orientation. "The governor seemed to treat Cipel very well," said Don Linky, a Trenton watcher at Rutgers University's Eagleton Institute. "He appeared to go out of his way to help him."

And those questions didn't end with Cipel's departure. He first landed a job at MWW Group, a lobbying firm with connections to Democrats, with a recommendation from McGreevey. That lasted a month. In October, he got a new job with a Trenton lobbying firm close to McGreevey, based on a "positive recommendation" from the governor, according to its managing partner.

McGreevey, appearing on an "Ask the Governor" radio show, was asked to explain his relationship to Cipel, who had continued to work for him in an unpaid capacity as a liaison to the Jewish community. He called him "a very good friend."