New Jersey lieutenant governor steps down after ethics investigation
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell resigned following a law-firm probe that found multiple ethics and harassment violations, Governor Mikie Sherrill said.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill announced Friday that Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell had resigned after a state-commissioned investigation concluded he breached ethics rules and harassed staff. Sherrill said she accepted Caldwell’s resignation, which he submitted that afternoon.
The 61-page report, prepared by an external law firm, cited credible evidence that Caldwell made inappropriate comments to a female staffer, accepted complimentary tickets without reimbursement, and attempted to secure a promotion for a state employee with whom he had a romantic relationship. Sherrill called the findings “serious, repeated violations of state policy.”
Caldwell’s attorney, Thomas Calcagni, disputed the three findings, claiming the process lacked due process and went beyond the evidence. Sherrill defended the investigation’s thoroughness, noting that Caldwell’s own statements were included in the report.
Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin praised Sherrill’s “commitment to hold public officials to the highest standards,” saying the resignation was appropriate after an independent review. The governor also said the move was part of a broader effort to change a culture she described as historically dismissive of victims.
Caldwell had also served as the state’s secretary of state, overseeing elections. Sherrill said acting comptroller Shirley Emehelu would assume those duties ahead of the upcoming midterm elections. Under state law, the lieutenant governor’s vacancy must be filled within 45 days; Sherrill indicated a permanent appointment will be made but no acting lieutenant governor will be named in the interim.