DiFrancesco drops bid for N.J. governor

Acting Gov. Donald DiFrancesco dropped out of the 2002 New Jersey gubernatorial race yesterday, following allegations of ethical misconduct and calls for his impeachment.

"I could not really run this race the way I wanted to on the issues and still be the governor I wanted to be in 2001," DiFrancesco said in a press conference at the governor's mansion in Princeton, citing media investigation into his business transactions as the reason. "At this point in time, the campaign is not for me, not for my family."

An article in the April 17 issue of The New York Times reported that lawyers for Scotch Plains township rallied for DiFrancesco's dismissal, accusing him of violating "legal-ethics rules" when he was township attorney in 1998.

The lawyer's report said DiFrancesco influenced his hometown government to protect property his brother wished to develop.

According to sources confidential to The New York Times, Scotch Plains moved to foreclose in 1995 on land owned by Paul and Ernest DiFrancesco, who had accumulated more than $85,000 in overdue real estate taxes, which they had stopped paying in 1990.

The report cited incidents in which DiFrancesco convinced township officials to grant his family a zoning change and lobbied officials to abandon plans for a youth soccer field on the lot.

Throughout the controversy, DiFrancesco has denied all allegations, charging that hometown Democrats leaked the report to injure his campaign for governor. But yesterday marked a reversal of his long-time promise to remain in the race.

DiFrancesco's decision opens the door for former U.S. Rep. Bob Franks, who will replace the acting governor in the Republican primary against Jersey City Mayor Bret Schundler, who many view as being too conservative for the post. Woodbridge Mayor Jim McGreevey, who lost a close race to Christie Whitman in 1997, is running on the Democratic ticket. U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine narrowly defeated Franks for senator last year.

DiFrancesco became acting governor Jan. 31 when Whitman stepped down to become Environmental Protection Agency director for President George W. Bush's administration.