FAMED ACTOR ROBIN WILLIAMS

FOUND DEAD
USA TODAY, 1B AND 7B
TRENTON On Aug. 12, 2004, Gov.
James E. McGreevey decided to come
clean with himself, his family and the
voters. Announcing he was a gay
American, McGreevey told the nation
he was resigning and ending the politi-
cal career he had spent decades build-
ing.
While pundits have argued over
McGreeveys legacy in the gay rights
movement, the political impact of his
decision to quit is clear: Without Jim
McGreevey, there might not have been
a Chris Christie.
There definitely were repercus-
sions. We certainly would not have had
Jon Corzine as governor, said Mon-
mouth University Polling Institute di-
rector Patrick Murray. We got Jon Cor-
zine, rather than a second McGreevey
term. And Jon Corzine gave us Chris
Christie.
In terms of gay rights, the declaration
may have had a marginal impact on
Americans changing attitudes. From
the perspective of New Jersey policy,
the impact is difficult to assess; the state
had Democratic governors for the five
years following his resignation.
But politically, McGreeveys an-
nouncement and the events that precip-
itated it were seismic. The announce-
ment was not simply the result of
McGreeveys sexuality. The governor
MCGREEVEY: 10 YEARS LATER
After gay American
declaration, N.J. politics
took unexpected detour
DOMINO
EFFECT
By Michael Symons @MichaelSymons_
See MCGREEVEY, Page A7
MORE
PHOTOS
To see a photo gallery
of former Gov. James
E. McGreevey
throughout the years,
visit APP.com/Photos.
AP FILE PHOTOS
Jon Corzine (top) won
the 2005 New Jersey
governor race.
Following Corzines
scandals, Gov. Chris
Christie (above) ran
for governor in 2009
and won.
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TUESDAY 08.12.14
VOLUME 135
NUMBER 192
SINCE 1879
ADVICE D7
CLASSIFIED D8
COMICS D6
LOCAL A3
MOVIES D5
OBITUARIES A8
OPINION A11
SPORTS C1
TECH TUESDAY A6
WEATHER C8
MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY
RETURNED FEELING RENEWED
Defensive tackles Dimitrius Smith and Eric Macik
ready to make magic happen on the gridiron.
Sports, C1
Some homeowners in Ocean County signed up for
housing aid to help them get their financial footing af-
ter superstorm Sandy, only to later discover that an
overwhelmed program actually may be sinking their
credit scores.
Liz Vargo, a 64-year-old retiree in Point Pleasant, en-
rolled in the Sandy Homeowner and Renter Assistance
Program after flooding from the October 2012 storm
filled her basement with four feet of water. She racked
up a few thousand dollars in credit card debt replacing
the uninsured contents of her basement and was plan-
ning on using the money she was saving from SHRAP,
which was covering her mortgage and utilities, to pay it
down when she signed up in January.
It wasnt long before she started getting calls from
her mortgage lender. It turns out her February bill
due on the first of the month wasnt paid until Feb. 24.
Then Marchs payment wasnt made until April 24 and
Aprils wasnt received until May 8. She even got a fore-
closure notice as SHRAP failed time and time again to
make timely payments.
Homeowners:
Program
cant pay
bills on time
Late mortgage payments
damaging credit scores
By Russ Zimmer @russzimmer
They never paid my mortgage.
They didnt pay for July, and they
didnt pay it for August until just
now.
KATHLEEN KRZYWICKI,
a Toms River resident, about her issues with SHRAP
See SHRAP, Page A5
NEW YORK It stinks. The ceilings leak. Its hot. Its
dark. The people who wait in the Port Authority bus ter-
minal, crowded shoulder-to-shoulder, compare it to the
seventh circle of hell.
Now commuters who have endured these and other
conditions at the outdated facility get to describe their
daily ordeal face-to-face with officials who own the
building and run the buses.
The first commuter chat held by the agency in five
years takes place from 4 to 6 p.m. todayon the bus termi-
nals second floor, opposite Jays Hallmark store.
Authority spokesman Chris Valens said Port Author-
ity and bus carrier management will be there to hear
what commuters have to say.
Its a chance for commuters to talk to management
and carriers ... about their concerns and the things they
want to see, Valens said. There isnt a set agenda; its
more of a listening session.
Officials are likely to get an earful. Commuters post
ON THE WEB
Comment on the Port Authority bus terminal master plan
study at http://bit.ly/1oYQV7R.
Terminal from hell?
Your turn to sound off
See TERMINAL, Page A12
By Larry Higgs @APPLarry
TRENTON Gov. James E. McGree-
veys announcement 10 years ago that
he was a gay American and would re-
sign as governor has been described a
lot of ways shocking, regrettable, in-
evitable, a cover story.
To McGreevey, the events of Aug.
12, 2004, are actually, a blessing.
Its sort of understanding and hope-
fully having an awareness of the signif-
icance of that decision, what it meant in
peoples lives both personally and pro-
fessionally, McGreevey said.
In the 10 years since then, McGreevey
has written a book, weathered a rough di-
vorce proceeding, studied to become an
Episcopalian priest and worked to help
former prisoners successfully transition
back into society.
In many respects, Im much closer to
the values with which I was raised. Im
much closer to the ground in a better,
healthier and I think more fulfilled
place, McGreevey said.
Speech led to progress
for LGBT, ex-prisoners
By Michael Symons @MichaelSymons_
See PROGRESS, Page A7