McGreevy resigns !!

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And they say all you get here is dick jokes, insults and hockey news

www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,128836,00.html

NEW YORK — New Jersey Gov. James McGreevey (search) is planning on stepping down from office after more than two years of service, according to local news reports.

A source close to McGreevey has told The Associated Press the governor is considering options including his resignation.

McGreevey, a former prosecutor, has been plagued by corruption stories as a number of his political aides and fundraisers have faced accusations ranging from alleged payoffs to hiring a prostitute.

McGreevey has not been accused of any wrongdoing, and has denied any wrongdoing in the past. The governor is scheduled to speak at a 4 p.m. EDT news conference.

WCBS-TV didn't report that McGreevey would step down, as WNBC did, but just verified that an announcement would be made at 4 p.m.

Jim McQueeny, a Garden State Democratic operative, said associates told him a "personal issue" led to today's announcement.

Should McGreevey indeed leave office, his successor under the state constitution would be Richard Codey (search), the current president of the state senate.

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www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5686618/
TRENTON, N.J. - New Jersey Gov. James E. McGreevey was expected to announce his resignation Thursday afternoon, local news organizations reported.

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NBC affiliate WNBC-TV of New York reported that McGreevey, a former prosecutor who has seen several political aides and fund-raisers accused of corruption, would announce his decision at a news conference Thursday afternoon.

“He’s made up his mind,” a longtime friend and political adviser told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

WNBC reported that McGreevey’s decision was unrelated to the corruption accusations against several of his aides. McGreevey has denied any wrongdoing in the past.

Another New York television station, WABC, reported that McGreevey was expected to discuss sexual harassment allegations made by a former aide. The station, which did not report any source for the information, said McGreevey held an emergency cabinet meeting at which he discussed his political plans.

The Associated Press reported that some staff members who were seen leaving his office appeared to be crying and that his parents had been escorted inside.

McGreevey, the state’s 51st governor, took office 2½ years ago, and, despite inheriting a $5 billion budget deficit, he steadfastly refused to boost income taxes for most New Jerseyans, instead raising taxes on millionaires, casinos and cigarettes.

McGreevey’s successor under the state Constitution would be state Senate President Richard Codey.

Veteran New Jersey politician
McGreevey, a Democrat, rose from suburban mayor to state chief executive by his tenacious pursuit of party politics, maintaining a power base even after he narrowly lost to Republican Christine Todd Whitman in 1997.

McGreevey never truly stopped that campaign until he won in November 2001, beating Republican Bret Schundler by 15 percentage points.

McGreevey, who was born in Jersey City, graduated from Columbia University in 1978. He earned a law degree from Georgetown University in 1981 and a master’s degree in education from Harvard University a year later.

After briefly serving as a county prosecutor, McGreevey became a lobbyist for a pharmaceutical company and then a state government official. While in the Legislature, he voted for Gov. Jim Florio’s $2.8 billion tax hike, which prompted a voter rebellion against Democrats.