McGreevey’s New Gig. (updated)
It appears that Governor McGreevey will not have to update his resume after all. That is because he already has a spot waiting for him as a partner, the law firm of his “mentor,†democrat state senator Raymond Lesniak. The firm Weiner Lesniak served as general counsel to town of Woodbridge for the almost-ten years that Jim McGreevey served as mayor and then went on to make boatloads of money representing the county government and its insurance carrier.
Given that Governor McGreevey hasn’t practiced law since entering politics in 1990, it is not surprising that his role in the Lesniak firm will focus on “business development, client recruitment and strategy for clients dealing with government.â€
Mr. Lesniak, stated of Governor McGreevey:
The governor would be an asset to many firms throughout this state and nation… . He’s done a lot of good things for the state of New Jersey and he’s a national figure. And there are a lot of people who respect all of the hard work he’s put in over the past decade in public service and would be honored to have him working with them as part of their business.
Look, this is hardly the first time, nor will it be the last, that a firm provides a job to a former public official who, while in office, sent loads of business to the firm. However, one cannot help but wonder whether the public official will truly “earn his keep,†or whether he will simply cash in on prior favors and show up occasionally to submit a large expense reimbursement request.
In this case, one also has to wonder how this man would fare if he applied for a job at a law firm or anywhere else, like any other person seeking a job. Imagine, if you will, that you are the hiring partner at a law firm, or the head of the Human Resources Department in a large company. How much consideration would you give to an applicant who:
…in his most recent position, squandered thousands upon thousands of dollars of his employer’s money on a family reunion in Ireland and needless helicopter rides; and who
…in his most recent position, gave his boyfriend a critically important job for which the boyfriend was absolutely unqualified and then used his employer’s money to pay the boyfriend a salary of $80,000, which he immediately increased to $110,000; and who
…in his most recent position was identified (although not formally named) scores of times in a multi-count federal indictment of an associate for bribery and extortion, and who, in the course of the government’s investigation was taped using a special code word that signified the he was part of the bribery and extortion scheme, and who very well might himself be indicted?
As a law professor of mine used to say, “To ask the question is to answer it.â€
It’s just politics as usual in the Jersey Political Swamp.
Update: Roberto, of DynamoBuzz, another Jersey Blogger, also discusses this. One of his commenters states that the AP reported that McGreevey (through a spokesperson) and Lesniak deny the published story. I have not been able to find the story. If I do, I will post the link.
Update 2: The link to the story containing McGreevey’s and Lesniak’s denial is here. Thanks and apologies to Eugene, Roberto’s commenter. He actually had posted the link to the story in his comment. However, when I took a quick look at it, I had thought it was the original story.
As for the denial itself, we’ll see.
