TRENTON, N.J. – Assemblyman Alex Sauickie wants accountability for the Caldwell scandal to extend to the governor’s office.
The Republican lawmaker is calling on Governor Mikie Sherrill to resign, arguing that her handling of allegations against her handpicked lieutenant governor exposes a failure of both transparency and leadership.
“Governor Sherrill promised New Jersey transparency and accountability. The Caldwell report shows a complete lack of both,” Sauickie said.
Dale Caldwell resigned Friday after Sherrill publicly demanded his departure following an investigation that substantiated sexual harassment and ethics violations. Caldwell has denied wrongdoing.
For Sauickie, however, Caldwell’s conduct is only part of the story. The governor’s decisions deserve scrutiny, too.
“Senior officials raised concerns about her handpicked lieutenant governor’s conduct and warned him repeatedly,” he said. “He remained in office and even served as acting governor while under investigation.”
“New Jerseyans deserve to know what she knew and why she allowed that to happen.”
Sherrill defended the investigation as thorough and impartial, saying it was initiated by the administration’s chief ethics officer and conducted by a former state attorney general. Her own statement acknowledged that Caldwell’s ethical lapses continued despite repeated warnings and training.
Sauickie also accused Sherrill of prioritizing her national political profile over the state she was elected to govern, saying she had spent roughly a month of her first nine months in office outside New Jersey.
“New Jersey didn’t need a governor who immediately started acting like she was running for president,” he said. “We needed one focused on the job here at home.”
His criticism extended beyond Caldwell. Sauickie cited what he described as a bloated $62 billion budget, a lack of meaningful affordability relief, the administration’s handling of Delaney Hall over Memorial Day, and unanswered questions surrounding improper voter registrations.
“The lack of attention to New Jersey is obvious in the results,” he said.
The assemblyman’s prescription was blunt:
“In the private sector, a CEO with this track record would be fired. Governor Sherrill should resign.”
