Sherrill calls for Lt. Gov. Caldwell ’82 to resign after investigation found policy violations

New Jersey’s Lieutenant Governor and Secretary of State Dale Caldwell ’82 has been found to have “engag[ed] in serious, repeated violations of state policy and fail[ed] to uphold the responsibilities of his office,” according to the findings of an investigation opened by New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill that were announced on Thursday. 

In a public statement following Sherrill’s announcement, Thomas Calcagni of Calcagni & Kanefsky LLP, a lawyer for Caldwell, denied every allegation and claimed that the process behind the investigation was unfair. 

“I’m calling for his resignation and giving him until tomorrow to do so,” Sherrill said in her statement Thursday night. “I hold everyone in my Administration to the highest ethical standard. We all have a duty to follow our state ethics and harassment policy and our Code of Conduct. Anyone who violates these will be held accountable.”

Sherrill and Caldwell ran in the New Jersey gubernatorial race together last fall, when they defeated Republican candidate Jack Ciatarelli. Caldwell, who is serving a four-year term, has been in his position for less than a year. A Princeton alumnus, Caldwell has a background in ministry and higher education. 

The report alleges that Caldwell engaged in unprofessional workplace conduct and sexual harassment, making many state employees and a personal friend of one feel uncomfortable in April and May of this year. The report also found that Caldwell used his position to obtain a senior leadership position for his girlfriend, who was also a state employee. 

The report also alleges that while attempting to secure this position, Caldwell did not disclose that he and the woman were in a romantic relationship, and she now works outside the state office. He also allegedly brought additional guests to at least eight ticketed events. 

The report found substantial evidence that by making a crude remark to two young women regarding “young sperm,” he violated the New Jersey State Policy Prohibiting Discrimination in the Workplace, colloquially known as the Workplace Policy. It also found substantial evidence that he violated the Uniform Ethics Code and Code of Conduct for bringing the additional guests without reimbursement or payment, and for using his position to try to obtain a promotion for his romantic partner.

Calcagni’s statement, in response to these allegations, said that the investigation lacked the “requisite due process that should be afforded every citizen in this state.” 

“The Lieutenant Governor was not provided a meaningful opportunity to address each of these anonymous allegations or offer readily identifiable witnesses who possessed more pertinent, first-hand knowledge of the events in question,” Calcagni wrote. “These due process concerns, coupled with breaches of confidentiality throughout the process, render any findings palpably deficient and create a dangerous and challenging precedent for anyone who wishes to defend against anonymous conjecture and character assassination.”

In addressing the three primary allegations of the report, Calcagni’s statement argued that there was a distinction between forwarding his romantic partner’s resume to a co-worker and Caldwell actually using his political power to directly influence that promotion. 

“The report cites no evidence indicating that Dr. Caldwell ordered anyone to promote her, or controlled the hiring decision or demanded that she receive a new position,” Calcagni wrote in the statement. “And, most importantly, she did not receive a promotion, a raise or any other State benefit and ultimately left State government.”

Additionally, the statement pointed to the anonymous workplace harassment allegations as “never meaningfully tested or fairly questioned,” and that the circumstances surrounding the extra guests he brought do not necessarily “support the conclusion that he intentionally misused the office.” 

Sherrill’s media team has yet to post a response. When asked for comment, they redirected The Daily Princetonian to the initial announcement. 

The scrutiny around Caldwell’s conduct started after a letter sent by “A Concerned N.J. Resident” on May 6 of this year, which alleged that Caldwell had been “bringing uninvited female guests to events while traveling using taxpayer funds” and had been “hitting on women at functions while traveling using taxpayer money.”

“He has been particularly shameless in handing out his state business cards and asking women out on dates,” the letter read. “Given his position, the power imbalance between him and these women is coercive.”

The report did not directly substantiate claims of Caldwell handing out of his state business cards and asking women out on dates.

“Enough is enough! He should not be trying to get dates while he is traveling on the taxpayer's dime,” the resident’s letter concluded. “And he should not be accepting free tickets to costly events for the women he is trying to impress. Please put a stop to this shameless and corrupt behavior.” 

After being notified of the complaint and of the existence of an investigation led by Lowenstein Sandler LLP in a letter from Christina Fullam, state chief ethics officer, Caldwell responded to the initial letter from the citizen, denying each of the allegations in it. This letter, also sent to Fullam on May 28 of this year, contained Caldwell’s open welcome of the investigation and affirmation to continue serving in his state position. 

“I will continue to cooperate fully with any review process because I firmly believe that truth, professionalism, facts, and integrity ultimately prevail over rumor, innuendo, and false accusations,” Caldwell wrote. “I remain fully committed to serving the people of New Jersey and representing the Sherrill Administration with integrity, dignity, professionalism, and transparency.

On Sept. 4, the existence of the investigation became public. Caldwell declined to comment then on the investigation. 

Should Caldwell decide not to step down as Sherrill has demanded, Sherrill retains the ability to remove him from the secretary of state position, as it is an appointed position. However, she does not retain the ability to directly remove him from the lieutenant governor position. 

If he declines to resign as lieutenant governor, the New Jersey General Assembly could choose to impeach him. If impeached, the New Jersey Senate would have the power to remove him from office. The New Jersey Globe reports that the last time there was an impeachment in the state of New Jersey was in the late 1700s for a few local judges.

Caldwell is a Democrat and a critic of President Donald Trump, but he has gained the support of Mike Crispi, chairman of America First Republicans of New Jersey and an outspoken Trump ally. 

“I stand with Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell!” Crispi wrote in his post. “@AmericaFirstNJ will announce action soon.” 

The organization also made two posts in the wake of the Sherrill announcement in support of Caldwell. In one, they posted an image of Caldwell with the caption “Dale Caldwell did nothing wrong.” The other read, “Anyone advocating for the removal of Dale Caldwell on the Republican side literally supports Mikie Sherrill. This is why Republicans lose.” 

America First Republicans of New Jersey did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

“The Lieutenant Governor participated in the investigative process faithfully to the limited extent permitted, expecting a genuine truth-seeking inquiry. Unfortunately, the report twists seemingly benign phrases, such as ‘executive presence,’ to imply improper motive; relies heavily and unduly on the anonymous complainant’s perceptions, characterizations, and multi-layered hearsay; and disregards the testimony of staffers who did not share those views, as well as the Lieutenant Governor’s own account,” Calcagni’s statement concludes.

“I have dedicated my life to service. I know that jobs of public trust impact the lives of everyday people, and I deeply respect the oaths and responsibilities of these positions,” Sherrill’s statement read. “I will always put the interests of the people of New Jersey first.” 

Caldwell did not respond to multiple phone calls from the ‘Prince.’ 

Luke Grippo is a head News editor for the ‘Prince.’ He is from South Jersey, and typically covers the state of higher education, University affairs, and state politics. He can be reached at luke.grippo[at]dailyprincetonian.com.

Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.