Farber resignation - PoliticsNJ - Selected items

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Selections from the PoliticsNJ blog for Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Governor Jon Corzine on the resignation of Zulima Farber: "I have an important and painful announcement that the Attorney General and I have come to accept. After thoughtful consideration, the Attorney General has decided to resign her position.

I want to thank Attorney General Farber for her cooperation and candor at every stage of this difficult process. Today, as always, she has sought to put the best interests of the state and the high responsibilities of her office above any personal considerations.

As Attorney General, she has served for seven months with great effectiveness and success, as demonstrated by her restoring working relationships among the people involved in homeland security and preparedness, her strong leadership in bringing gang prosecutions and attacking gang violence, her personal efforts in representing the state before the Supreme Court in crucial litigation, and the reinvigorated professionalism of the Attorney General's Office.

The Attorney General has decided to resign effective August 31st. We both wish that her term had been longer.

Her decision to resign her office is painful for many. She has decided to do more than might ordinarily be required for a lapse in judgment, and to make a larger, personal sacrifice for the greater good. And let me be clear: this is her decision.

Public service - perhaps especially in New Jersey in this era - requires a willingness to make sacrifices. People give up larger incomes; they forgo time with their families; they endure long hours; and they put their reputations at risk.

The pressure is constant and the best among us demonstrate grace under that pressure. That is what Zulima Farber has done in this case. She is giving up a lifelong dream in order to serve the greater good -- in order to demonstrate by her actions that we expect the highest possible standards for those who serve.
While Zulima Farber has been a strong and effective Attorney General, the report from would inevitably impair that effectiveness and risk undermining an office that we both care about deeply. She recognizes that. I recognize that.

I regret that she will no longer be in my cabinet. But I know that she will continue to make significant contributions both to me and to the state in the future. While the Attorney General and I agree that it is not possible for her to continue in her current capacity, she still has much to offer our state under different circumstances. I look forward to continuing to work with her on various matters in the years to come.

I am grateful for her service." (08/15/06)
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U.S. Senator Robert Menendez on the resignation of Zulima Farber: "Zulima Farber made a decision in the best interests of the state. She has been a tenacious and effective Attorney General, and I am not surprised that in response to the special prosecutor’s report, she put service above self. She should be commended for acting quickly and sparing the state from protracted proceedings and petty partisan posturing. As a former public advocate, counsel to a governor, and a prosecutor, Zulima Farber has been a faithful public servant for many years, and I wish her well.” (08/15/06)
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The Associated Press is reporting that Zulima Farber will resign as Attorney General at 6PM. (08/15/06)

Sen. Robert Menendez says he hopes that Attorney General Zulima Farber "will act according to the best interests of the state." In a statement released this afternoon, Menendez said: " “The special prosecutor’s report concludes that while the Attorney General did not break the law, she did violate the state’s code of ethics. The public has a right to expect that government officials uphold the highest standards of integrity, and these offenses are serious. A cabinet member can only perform the duties of their office if they have the full confidence of the governor and the public. I hope the Attorney General will act according to the best interests of the state." (08/15/06)"
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Union County Republican Chairman Phil Morin wants an investigation of Union County Freeholder Angel Estrada's role in helping the Attorney General's live-in boyfriend restore his drivers license. Estrada is the manager of the state Motor Vehicle Commission office in Elizabeth, where Hamlet Goore went to address issues with his license. Special Prosecutor Richard Williams said in his report that "Mr. Estrada's handling of this matter before Hamlet Goore arrived at the MVC agency raises questions about the propriety of his practices and whether they were in compliance with MVC procedures.

"While Judge Williams stated that he did not have jurisdiction to investigate Freeholder Estrada's conduct, the MVC should," said Morin. "After all the Chief Administrator of the MVC, Sharon Harrington, is also an appointee to Governor Corzine's State Ethics Commission." (08/15/06)
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Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman John Adler has become the first prominent Democrat to call for Attorney General Zulima Farber's resignation. "Today's report from a special prosecutor, appointed by Governor Corzine to investigate the traffic-stop incident, has shattered hopes that Zulima Farber would raise the office of Attorney General to a level of integrity and excellence that we have a right to expect," Adler said.
"The report concludes that she violated the State's ethics code, and breached the public trust."

"Zulima Farber must resign. The Office of Attorney General cannot rebound from ethics violations with her at the helm. We need an Attorney General who is above reproach," said Adler. "I pray that she does not put her personal interest ahead of the public interest." (08/15/06)
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U.S. Senate candidate Tom Kean Jr. is calling on Sen. Robert Menendez to state his position on a Farber resignation. “After enduring the ethical scandals of Jim McGreevey and Bob Torricelli, New Jerseyans are now being forced to put up with the embarrassment of Zulima Farber, said Kean. "It’s no wonder that Bob Menendez is hiding from this issue. After all, it was Menendez who fought unsuccessfully to get Farber a seat on the state Supreme Court, and then championed her appointment to the Attorney General post." (08/15/06)


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