Jim McGreevey
James Edward McGreevey is an American politician who served as the 52nd governor of New Jersey from 2002 until his resignation in 2004 amidst a sex scandal. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first openly gay person to serve as a state governor in the nation's history.
McGreevey served in the New Jersey General Assembly from 1990 to 1992, as the 19th mayor of Woodbridge Township from 1991 to 2002, and in the New Jersey Senate from 1994 to 1998. He was the Democratic nominee for Governor of New Jersey in 1997, but was narrowly defeated by Republican incumbent Christine Todd Whitman. He ran for governor again in 2001 and was elected by a large margin.
During his gubernatorial tenure, McGreevey—who was then married to Dina Matos—appointed Israeli national Golan Cipel as a Homeland Security advisor. The $110,000-per-year appointment was criticized due to Cipel's lack of qualifications, and Cipel later left McGreevey's staff. On August 12, 2004, following threats of a sexual harassment lawsuit from Cipel, McGreevey publicly acknowledged his homosexuality and stated that he had engaged in an extramarital relationship; he also announced that he would resign the governorship effective November 15, 2004. McGreevey later stated that he had had an affair with Cipel, but Cipel denied this claim.
In 2006, following his departure from public office, McGreevey published a memoir entitled The Confession. He later pursued ordination in the Episcopal Church and obtained a Master of Divinity degree from General Theological Seminary in New York City; however, the Episcopal Church declined to ordain him, and he returned to the Catholic Church. In July 2013, McGreevey was appointed head of Jersey City's Employment & Training Program. He served in that capacity until his 2019 termination. McGreevey serves as Executive Director of the New Jersey Reentry Corporation. He was a candidate in the 2025 Jersey City mayoral election, losing to James Solomon.
Early life and education
McGreevey was born in Jersey City, the son of Veronica, a nurse, and Jack McGreevey, a Marine drill instructor who served in World War II and the Korean War. His family was Irish Catholic, and he grew up in nearby Carteret. There he attended St. Joseph Elementary School, and St. Joseph High School in Metuchen. He attended The Catholic University of America before graduating from Columbia University in 1978. He earned a Juris Doctor from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1981 and a master's degree in education from Harvard University in 1982.Early career
McGreevey has worked as an assistant prosecutor and as executive director of the state Parole Board.McGreevey was a member of the New Jersey General Assembly. He represented New Jersey's 19th legislative district from 1990 to 1992, when he became Mayor of Woodbridge Township, New Jersey. He was re-elected mayor in 1995 and 1999. McGreevey was elected to the New Jersey Senate in 1993, simultaneously serving as mayor of Woodbridge during the four-year Senate term.
Governor of New Jersey
Elections
McGreevey first ran for governor in 1997, but was defeated in a close race by incumbent Republican Christine Todd Whitman. Libertarian candidate Murray Sabrin received slightly over 5% of the vote.McGreevey ran for the governorship again in 2001 and won with 56% of the vote, making him the first majority-elected governor since James Florio. His Republican opponent in that race was Bret Schundler.
In 2005, David D'Amiano, a key McGreevey fund-raiser, was sentenced to two years in prison. D'Amiano extorted $40,000 from a Middlesex County farmer named Mark Halper, who cooperated 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.
Tenure
After being elected governor, on November 6, 2001, McGreevey inherited a $5 billion budget deficit. During his term, McGreevey raised the tax on cigarettes and increased the state income tax for the wealthy. Raised Catholic but maintaining a pro-choice stance on abortion, he stated as governor that he would not receive Communion at public church services.Among McGreevey's accomplishments were auto insurance reform, restructuring the Division of Motor Vehicles to the Motor Vehicle Commission, signing the Highlands Water Protection and Planning Act into law, implementing a stem cell research plan for New Jersey, heavily lobbying for the state's first domestic partnership law for same-sex couples and signing such a law in early 2004.
Time described McGreevey's administration as having been "beset by ethical lapses". McGreevey's chief of staff, state police director, and commerce secretary all left their posts due to alleged conflicts of interest.
Hiring of Golan Cipel
McGreevey met Golan Cipel in Israel during a trip there in 2000. Cipel relocated to the United States to work for McGreevey's 2001 gubernatorial campaign as a liaison to the Jewish community.In 2002, following his election as governor, McGreevey appointed Cipel as a Homeland Security advisor at a salary of $110,000. Members of the Legislature questioned the appointment, and it was criticized because Cipel was unqualified for the position. In addition, Cipel could not obtain a security clearance from the federal government, as he was Israeli and not a U.S. citizen; therefore, the FBI and the Secret Service would not provide him with intelligence.
McGreevey brought up Cipel's name six weeks into his administration in a February 14, 2002, interview with The Records editorial board at its offices, saying:
McGreevey assisted Cipel in obtaining a townhouse near McGreevey's home. Cipel reportedly stated that he needed to live near the governor because his job involved being on call on a 24-hour basis. According to the Star-Ledger newspaper, McGreevey even accompanied Cipel on a final walk-through of the townhouse, which the real estate agent said she found "odd".
Questions about McGreevey's sexual orientation and the nature of his relationship with Cipel were allegedly well-known by political journalists.
In March 2002, Cipel stepped down from his Homeland Security position and was reassigned to an advisor position regarding government operations. In August 2002, Cipel resigned from the McGreevey administration.
Cipel later threatened to file a sexual harassment lawsuit against McGreevey. This threat led to McGreevey's August 2004 resignation from office.
Resignation and aftermath
On the afternoon of August 12, 2004, faced with threats from Cipel's lawyer, Allen Lowy, that Cipel would file a sexual harassment lawsuit against him in Mercer County Court, McGreevey held a nationally televised press conference. At the press conference, he said: "At a point in every person's life, one has to look deeply into the mirror of one's soul and decide one's unique truth in the world, not as we may want to see it or hope to see it, but as it is. And so my truth is that I am a gay American." He also said that he had "engaged in an adult consensual affair with another man", and that he would resign effective November 15, 2004. McGreevey's announcement made him the first openly gay state governor in United States history. The Star-Ledger won the 2005 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting for its coverage of the McGreevey scandal and resignation.For his part, Cipel later asserted that he was heterosexual and denied having had an affair with McGreevey; Cipel has contended that McGreevey subjected him to sexual harassment and sexual assault and then fired him when his advances were rejected.
McGreevey's decision to delay the effective date of his resignation until after September 3, 2004, avoided a special election in November to replace him as governor. Doing so allowed the Democratic Party to retain control of the governorship for the rest of the four-year term, until January 2006. It avoided the prospect of a special election in tandem with the presidential election, which could have resulted in a Republican victory and helped George W. Bush capture New Jersey's electoral votes.
Almost immediately after McGreevey's announcement, New Jersey Republicans and Democrats alike called upon the governor not to wait until November to resign and instead to do so immediately. An editorial in The New York Times read, "Mr. McGreevey's strategy to delay resignation does not serve New Jersey residents well. The state will be led by an embattled governor mired in personal and legal problems for three months."
On September 15, U.S. District Judge Garrett E. Brown Jr. dismissed Afran v. McGreevey, filed by Green Party lawyers Bruce Afran and Carl J. Mayer, dismissing their claim that the postponement of McGreevey's resignation had left a vacancy, thereby violating New Jersey residents' voting rights. Brown stated that McGreevey "clearly intends to hold office until November 15, 2004. The requirement of holding a special election does not arise. The rights of registered voters are not being violated."
Fellow Democrat and New Jersey Senate President Richard Codey took office upon McGreevey's resignation and served the remainder of the term until January 17, 2006.
In March 2013, McGreevey was accused of “whitewashing” his accusations of sexual assault and harassment. The article, from conservative blog Newsbusters, blamed CBS for allowing him to do it. The article claimed that McGreevey, during an interview with CBS, focused on his own sexuality and skipped over the scandal that led to him leaving office. The article said: "While telling his story, McGreevey skipped over the scandal of his appointment, focusing on his sexuality instead. McGreevey had appointed his lover, Golan Cipel, an Israeli citizen, as the state's counter-terrorism czar in the wake of 9/11, and when pressed, gave him a $110,000-a-year job as an 'adviser.' "