The firm's report published Wednesday found that Dale Caldwell violated the state’s policy prohibiting discrimination in the workplace. It said he made an advance toward a staffer’s friend and when he was rebuffed, he told the staffer, “you young women are looking for young sperm.”
“The investigation found that the Lieutenant Governor engaged in serious, repeated violations of state policy and failed to uphold the responsibilities of his office,” Gov. Mikie Sherrill said in a statement Thursday.
Caldwell’s lawyer, Thomas Calcagni, disputed the allegations, calling the investigation a one-sided operation that did not include necessary due process.
The report also accused Caldwell of breaking the state’s ethics rules by trying to get a promotion for a state employee he was dating.
In May, Caldwell emailed an unnamed official recommending his romantic partner, who he called a friend, for a promotion to a leadership position, the report said. He included her resume and a letter she sent expressing interest in a senior leadership position, according to the report.
Sherrill, a Democrat, said Caldwell’s “ethical lapses” continued even with multiple warnings and trainings. She called his resignation “in the best interest of New Jersey residents.”
“These violations substantiated in the investigation reflect a pattern of behavior that does not meet the standards of this Administration,” she said.
A Methodist pastor, Caldwell was president of Centenary University for two years before being elected lieutenant governor, a post that has existed in New Jersey for around 20 years.
