Results tagged “resignation”

After State Senator Hiram Monserrate was found guilty of a misdemeanor related to assaulting his girlfriend (he was acquitted on two felonies; he and his girlfriend have also insisted it was an accident), some of his State Senate colleagues demanded he step down. Now, others are joining in the call for Monserrate to step down—including Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand.

Sure, State Senator Hiram Monserrate wants to marry his girlfriend Karla Giraldo (at least according to his lawyer)—but there is a snag: That pesky order of protection that prevents Monserrate from contacting Giraldo, since he slashed her face with a broken glass last December! Monserrate and Giraldo both said it was an accident—and Monserrate was acquitted of two felony charges related to the incident but found guilty of a misdemeanor—but the judge still needs to remove the order.

Three prison officials called it quits yesterday, months after they allowed several prisoners to hold religious parties and even let rapper Foxy Brown conduct an interview and photo shoot while still locked up. Chief of Department Carolyn Thomas, Assistant Chief of Special Operations Frank Squillante and warden of the Manhattan detention complex (aka the Tombs) George Okada all turned in their resignations yesterday. The President of the Correction Captains' Association, Patrick Ferraiuolo, expressed his enthusiasm for the resignations, "He allowed his deputy wardens to run his jails."

Fire Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta further explained his decision to resign at the end of the year. He told the Daily News, "47 years in city government is enough," while saying to the NY Times, "The reason I am leaving now is I have decided, after 47 years, that if I am ever going to get to those other things, like teaching and writing, and some traveling. I better get to it now."

Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis announced he would resign at the end of the year. One analyst tells Bloomberg News that Lewis had become a "distraction" after taking over Merrill Lynch and buying subprime mortgage company Countrywide, "He’s drifting out to sea like a dying Eskimo, knowing the company can do better and thrive without him."

The White House said this morning that Van Jones, an adviser to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, has resigned. Jones, an expert green jobs, had come under fierce criticism from conservatives after it was revealed he signed a petition that supported the belief 9/11 was an "inside job," a tape showed him calling Republicans "assholes" earlier this year, and his involvement with a group called Standing Together to Organize a Revolutionary Movement was questioned. Jones released a statement, acknowledging much vitriol was directed at him, "On the eve of historic fights for health care and clean energy, opponents of reform have mounted a vicious smear campaign against me... They are using lies and distortions to distract and divide. I have been inundated with calls -- from across the political spectrum -- urging me to 'stay and fight.' But I came here to fight for others, not for myself. I cannot in good conscience ask my colleagues to expend precious time and energy defending or explaining my past. We need all hands on deck, fighting for the future."

Peter Cammarano, the 32-year-old recently elected to mayor of Hoboken and even more recently accused of taking a $25,000 bribe by the feds, has finally resigned, just days after saying he'd stay in office. Protests, not to mention some prodding from NJ Governor Corzine, apparently wore him down; Cammarano issued a resignation letter today, "I apologize to the residents of Hoboken for the disruption and disappointment this case has caused...Regrettably, it has turned out that the controversy surrounding the charges against me has become a distraction to me and an impediment to the functioning of Hoboken government. I would like to reiterate that I am innocent of any criminal charges and I intend to fight the allegations against me." City Council President Dawn Zimmer succeeds Cammarano.

About 100 protesters stood outside the home of Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano yesterday and called for his resignation, joining a public plea the day before from NJ Governor Jon Corzine. Despite being arrested as part of the massive corruption bust Thursday, the mayor has insisted he will stay in office continuing "business as usual." Corzine said if Cammarano and other officials refuse to step down, he will seek measures to force them out of office, adding, "If they want to get back into politics once they are proven innocent, I think that's fine." Cammarano was busted for taking $25,000 in bribes and his ambitious climb to become Hoboken's youngest mayor last month lead many to believe he will not go down lightly. A longtime NJ legislator said of him, "Some kids grow up and want to be the center fielder for the Mets. Some grow up and want to be mayor of their town. That was him. He was reveling in it." Meanwhile one spot getting a boost from the scandal—Hoboken's Malibu Diner, the scene of the crime. A manager told the News, “It’s not the kind of publicity we want, but business has picked up."

Being criticized and questioned (by even her fellow Republican party members!) over her sudden resignation, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin fought back on Facebook and Twitter, saying, "How sad that Washington and the media will never understand; it's about country. And though it's honorable for countless others to leave their positions for a higher calling and without finishing a term, of course we know by now, for some reason a different standard applies for the decisions I make." Her lawyer is also threatening legal action over "defamatory" rumors that a criminal investigation might be afoot. Apparently the spotlight on her personal life was too much; Washington Post spoke to John Coale, the D.C. lawyer who "helped [Palin] establish a political action committee and has become her political consigliere of sorts." Coale said, "She asked me, 'Well, what do you think all this is? Why are all these people attacking me?' I said to her: 'Look, that's what happens. They did it to Hillary [Rodham Clinton], and Hillary just pushed through it. It's not going to really stop... You just have to ignore it and move on,' but he added, "she couldn't ignore the hits on the kids. She said, 'It brought out the mama grizzly in me.' She acted like a mother grizzly bear when her cubs were being attacked."

Assemblyman Anthony Seminerio, who was indicted on fraud charges for basically selling his clout in Albany for $1 million, has resigned his seat in the 38th District in Queens. The Daily News reports that he will probably plead guilty to charges as early as tomorrow. Seminerio apparently decided to cut out the middle man after learning that people he did favors for were raking in cash; he said on a recording,"I was doing favors for these sons-of-bitches there, you know, they were, they were making thousands. 'Screw you, from now on, you know, I'm a consultant.'" had set up a shell company to funnel his "consulting" fees through. Seminerio, who served in the Assembly for 30 years, told PolitickerNY's Azi Paybarah in 2007, "The only thing that ever changes in Albany are the faces. The system stays intact." As for a successor, it could be a "free-for-all."

Finance Commissioner Martha Stark turned in her resignation yesterday; in a statement (described as "terse" by the NY Times) she said, "As I serve at the pleasure of the mayor, I hereby resign... It has been my great honor to serve." Stark had been scrutinized lately for serving on the board of a real estate company outside of NYC, keeping her deputy's husband on as a parking judge while he billed the office for time he wasn't working, for her relationship with an employee at the Finance Department, and apparent nepotism. A former Finance Department employee told the Post, "She should've resigned many years ago because there's been a lot of stuff that she was doing that nobody's caught. She got a lot of people that she knew into positions [even though] they didn't know anything about the jobs." The Post adds, "Her resignation puts Bloomberg... in the awkward spot of having only two African-American commissioners—Human Rights Commission head Patricia Gatling and Veterans Affairs Commissioner Roger Newman."

U.S. ally President Pervez Musharraf said he would resign today. Musharraf has been under pressure to leave office, due to the ruling party's attempt to impeach him, and told the country, "I don't want the people of Pakistan to slide deeper and deeper into uncertainty....I am not asking for anything. I will let the people of Pakistan decide my future." Musharraf rose to power in a "bloodless coup" in 1999, but, per CNN, "his power had eroded since parties opposed to his rule swept to victory in February's parliamentary elections." His resignation will likely to accepted by the parliament and he has reportedly been granted "safe passage" out of the country.

Tomorrow marks the start of Construction Safety Week in New York City, less than a week after Buildings Commissioner Patricia Lancaster resigned her position at the Dept. of Buildings. Lancaster admitted to the City Council that the plans for a 43 story tower in Turtle Bay, Manhattan did not meet zoning regulations but were approved anyway.

Dennis Gallagher, the married City Councilman representing Queens who was accused of raping a constituent in a drunken encounter last year, announced his planned resignation after pleading guilty to sexual abuse and forcible touching. Last summer, a 52-year-old woman alleged that she met Gallagher at a bar in Queens and after a night of drinking went with the Councilman to his district office, where he raped her.

The NY Post has an "explosive interview" with disgraced former NJ Governor James McGreevey's old driver and aide, who claims he had many "three-way sex romps" with McGreevey and his wife Dina Matos. Teddy Pederson is speaking out because Matos has been talking about Governor Spitzer's scandal, "It's frustrating to hear her call Gov. Spitzer a hypocrite while she's out there being as dishonest as anyone could be about her own life... She's framed herself as a victim - yet she was a willing participant, she had complete control over what happened in her relationship."

Well, today was quite a day, with Governor Spitzer's resignation bookended by more details about why the authorities were drawn to his activities with prostitutes - banks were alerted because of cash transactions! - and the revelation of who his expensive hooker "Kristen" actually was - a 22-year-old Jersey girl named Ashley. Here are some other interesting tidbits:
• Client No. 6 may be the richest man in England, the Duke of Westminster, Gerald Cavendish Grosvenor, who has a history of soliciting prostitutes. He's good friends with Prince Charles, he's Prince William's godfather, and he too wanted unprotected sex with a hooker.
• The Daily News has details on some of the other clients, including Client 4 who thought he could pass off the cost as a "business expense."
• Spitzer went to the Mayflower's hotel bar in search of a classical music CD. The Post suggest he was trying to set the mood with "Kristen."
• It's still unclear where Spitzer's state police were during the tryst, but a former state trooper, Assemblyman David Townshend, told the Times, "You have to balance security and privacy...Troopers are in a paramilitary organization, which means they are trained to take orders. If the governor told them to get lost because he wanted some privacy, they aren’t going to disobey that order or they might end up in worse trouble.”

Two days after news that he patronized an international prostitution ring, Governor Eliot Spitzer announced his resignation. With wife Silda Wall Spitzer at his side, he spoke for about three minutes at the Governor's office in Manhattan, at approximately 11:40 a.m. Here's a transcription:

In the past few days, I've begun to atone for my private failings with my wife Silda, my children, and my entire family. The remorse I feel will always be with me. Words cannot describe how grateful I am for the love and compassion they have shown me.

Continue reading "Spitzer Formally Resigns, Resignation Effective Monday"

As the news media and residents of NY State wait for Governor Eliot Spitzer to resign, late night talk show host David Letterman sounded off on Spitzer's waiting game. He spent his opening monologue railing against the Steamroller. You can watch the clip above, and here are some highlights, via the Daily News:

"He should have just stepped down. He should have stepped down yesterday," Letterman said during a lengthy rant that will air on Tuesday's show.

Continue reading "Spitzer Video of the Day: Letterman Says Resign Already"

Multiple sources say that Governor Eliot Spitzer is resigning and has begun notifying top state officials of his decision and is now scheduled to speak at 11:30 a.m.. Of course, he was expected to step down , but it seems that after "an agonizing night," his resignation is all but confirmed. (The Times has a Q&A conducted with Paterson in January; like Spitzer he's a big Hillary Clinton booster.)

The alleged tryst that Governor Spitzer had with a $4,300 hooker took place on the evening of February 13 in Washington, D.C. But before the meeting, Spitzer had appearances in Rochester, Buffalo and Batavia, at the Batavia VA Medical Center.

With rumors buzzing that Governor Spitzer will resign in light of his involvement with a prostitution ring, the residents of New York could very well join the residents of Connecticut and New Jersey in the "My Governor Resigned Due to Scandal Club."