Whitesboro gala organizer Felicia Simmons asks that event organizers be heard
Felicia SimmonsOrganizer of the 2026 Whitesboro Black History Gala and Asbury Park community leader, in a press release
In a September 14, 2026 press release, Felicia Simmons, an organizer of the 2026 Whitesboro Black History Gala, said she was the contact with the Lieutenant Governor's office and received an email informing her that guests would be attending. She questioned the suggestion that Caldwell simply "showed up with guests," said event organizers should be included in the investigation, and said Caldwell "deserves a fair hearing."
“I was the contact with the Lieutenant Governor's office, and I received an email informing me that guests would be attending. I also received a phone call from members of his staff regarding the space that would be needed. So when I hear the suggestion that Dr. Caldwell simply "showed up with guests," I believe that characterization deserves to be questioned. The investigation and public discussion should include the people who actually organized and coordinated the event. … Dr. Dale Caldwell deserves a fair hearing, just as anyone else would.”
Official statement
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Should Dale Caldwell resign as New Jersey's lieutenant governor after the investigation's findings?
On September 24, 2026, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill released a 61-page report, with exhibits, by the law firm Lowenstein Sandler LLP and called on Lt. Gov. Dale Caldwell to resign by the next day. The firm, engaged by the Governor's Chief Ethics Officer after an anonymous complaint dated May 6, found that Caldwell made a comment to a female staffer that constituted sexual harassment under the state workplace policy, and that he violated state ethics rules by bringing personal guests to ticketed events without payment and by seeking a promotion for a state employee with whom he had a romantic relationship. Caldwell, through his lawyer Thomas Calcagni, disputes all three findings, denies making the comment, and says the process was one-sided and lacked due process; in a May 28 letter he called the complaint's accusations false. Republican leaders called for him to resign or step down before the report was released. The Associated Press reports that the Governor cannot fire a lieutenant governor and that the Legislature can impeach and remove one. The statement issued for Caldwell on September 24 did not say whether he would resign. On September 25, Sherrill announced that Caldwell had resigned, The Philadelphia Inquirer and ABC News report. In a statement on his resignation, Caldwell said it should not be read as an admission of wrongdoing and that he strongly disputes the report; his lawyer said counsel would continue to challenge it.
Source and context
Official statement
About this source
Written statement by an organizer of the April 2026 Whitesboro Black History Gala, one of the events named in the anonymous complaint, published on the Preserve Whitesboro website. It describes her communications with the Lieutenant Governor's office and asks that event organizers be heard.
Reporting
About this source
New Jersey Globe's report on the September 16 launch of the "Let the People There Be Heard" effort by Caldwell supporters, including quotations from Felicia Simmons.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
Coverage had reported that an anonymous letter alleged Caldwell brought uninvited female guests to official events, and the Whitesboro gala was among the events named. The investigation report had not yet been released.
After the quotation
On September 16, Simmons, the Rev. Elorm Ocansey and Shirley Green were identified as the people behind a "Let the People There Be Heard" effort calling for firsthand witnesses to be interviewed.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to the allegations about guests at events, which the report later found substantiated as an ethics violation, Simmons disputes the complaint's description of how guests came to attend and asks that organizers be heard. She does not address the ethics rules or defend unpaid admission, so challenges the characterization fits better than defends or excuses.
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- Whitesboro gala organizer Felicia Simmons asks that event organizers be heard
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The Dispute Index. "Whitesboro gala organizer Felicia Simmons asks that event organizers be heard". First published: 2026-09-25. Last updated: 2026-09-25. https://disputeindex.com/events/2404-in-a-september-14-2026-press-release-felicia