New York, NY —
A day after New Jersey's biggest criminal round-up of public officials in years, several of the highest profile suspects are still in office.
Governor Corzine tried to set a high bar in the aftermath of the raids. He asked for, and GOT the resignation of Community Affairs Commissioner Joe Doria, who was not arrested, but had his home and Trenton office searched by the FBI. Meanwhile, several of the elected officials who were actually arrested and charged, still hold on to their posts. The most high profile is Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano, who in a brief public appearance said he's innocent of the charges and vowed to stay in office. He did not take questions. In Ridgefield, Anthony Suarez is still mayor according to the town clerk. As for the two sitting members of the Assembly who were charged, a spokesperson for Speaker Joe Roberts says Democratic Assemblyman L. Harvey Smith and Republican Daniel Van Pelt have been stripped of their committees but are still members of the Assembly. Under the law, elected officials don't have to resign if they're arrested and their departure from public office can often be a bargaining chip with prosecutors.