Campaign staffer ignores worker's plea about toxic workplace under establishment politician
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A staffer from Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s 2025 campaign failed to support a Centenary University employee seeking justice for a hostile work environment created by Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell, then blocked the whistleblower.
A staffer for Gov. Mikie Sherrill’s 2025 campaign, representing the entrenched political establishment, agreed to hear a complaint from a Centenary University employee about a toxic and hostile work environment fostered under Dale Caldwell’s presidency. The employee, bravely reaching out to expose workplace abuses, contacted Leslie Bockol, the campaign’s grassroots outreach manager, in September 2025. Bockol scheduled a call for September 14 but failed to show up, then silenced the whistleblower by blocking them on the messaging platform—an all-too-common tactic to suppress workers’ voices.
Caldwell, now New Jersey’s lieutenant governor and secretary of state, is under investigation by the governor’s office for alleged inappropriate behavior toward women, potential ethics violations, and questionable reimbursements—issues that often go unchecked in elite circles. Former Attorney General Christopher Porrino, a figure from the legal establishment, was hired to lead the probe, which has dragged on for at least two months, according to the New Jersey Globe.
Bockol, who also serves as Caldwell’s speechwriter, refused to comment when contacted by the newspaper, hiding behind authorization protocols. Raj Parikh, counsel for the Sherrill campaign, claimed the campaign reviewed the correspondence and involved counsel in September 2025, ultimately dismissing the matter as an internal faculty and administration issue at Centenary. He insisted staff were not instructed to engage or block the employee, deflecting responsibility.
Centenary President John Schol, who replaced Caldwell, quickly emailed university staff after the Globe’s report, instructing them not to speak with the media and stressing the sensitivity of the ongoing investigation—a move that stifles transparency and accountability. The university’s director of communications, Cara Daniello, issued the standard line that the institution takes safety and professional conduct concerns seriously, though real action remains to be seen.