The northern New Jersey assistant principal who has been accused of planting a hidden camera to videotape boys showering at a NJ Catholic high school where he volunteered for nearly three years has resigned from his job, more than a month after he was first arrested. Patrick Lott had been placed on an unpaid leave of absence as an assistant principal at the Bernardsville Middle School after being arrested last December, but it took until this week for Lott to officially step down amidst 22 counts of invasion of privacy (one for each victim), and more than two dozen counts of child endangerment. So despite "several" videos of nude teenagers showering being found at Lott's house, he was still given a gentleman's period to gracefully step aside. more ›

Last spring, a Brooklyn high school teacher was arrested and charged after she made "Columbine-like" threats to bring a gun to the school and "settle some scores." Fort Hamilton High School art teacher Sabrina Milo admitted she made the statements, but claimed she was just venting. All charges were dropped against her, but eight months later, the city has continued to look for ways to fire her—and now, Milo has decided to resign. more ›

Mayor Bloomberg made his first remarks about former Deputy Mayor Stephen Goldsmith's resignation due to a domestic violence arrest in D.C.—and not his crappy Blizzageddon response, as most assumed. And in true Bloomberg fashion, those remarks were defiant...like kayaking-during-Hurricane Irene defiant. He told reporters this morning, "I make no apologies for either the fact that Mr. Goldsmith has left city government or for treating the Goldsmith's family with basic decency." more ›

State Senator Carl Kruger has kept a relatively low profile since surrendering to federal authorities on corruption charges. Okay, he did change his long opposition to gay marriage by supporting the marriage equality bill, but the Post reports he's got bigger stuff on his mind—like resigning this summer and taking a plea deal with the feds. Why? A source claims, "The importance of his decision is so that he can negotiate better for his boyfriend." more ›

Finally, Rep. Charles Rangel, who was censured by the House of Representatives last year, has weighed in on fellow Congressional member Anthony Weiner's woes. According to Politicker NY, Rangel told reporters, "Not one person has given any reason for a resignation. The Constitution is abundantly clear" on proper Congressional member conduct. more ›

The Bronx public school teacher whose past as a sex worker made her front page fodder announced her resignation yesterday. In the fall, Melissa Petro was bounced from teaching art at Public School 70 in Mount Eden to the rubber room, after an essay she wrote on being a Craigslist prostitute led to her picture being plastered on the dallies. The Department of Education was reportedly embarrassed by the incident, and was seeking to fire her for "conduct unbecoming" her profession. more ›

This morning, now-former Schools Chancellor Joel Klein appeared on Good Day New York to speak about moving to News Corp., Fox's parent company, and about what he did for schools in the past eight years. Klein said his legacy "was a shift from a system that was based on power, politics and paralysis to one that's based on performance and progress." It's no secret that Klein butted heads with teachers unions and fought for things like charter schools, but was he a successful Chancellor? There are some mixed feelings about this. more ›

New York City Schools Chancellor Joel Klein has announced his resignation after eight years to become a senior advisor to News Corp. The company, parent company to the Wall Street Journal (who surprisingly had the scoop), said in a statement that Klein will be working on "business strategies for the emerging educational marketplace." Mayor Bloomberg is expected to announce Cathie Black, current chairwoman of Hearst Magazines, as his replacement. She would be the first woman ever appointed to the job. more ›

Turns out Bill White, who abruptly quit as president of the Intrepid Sea Air & Space Museum yesterday, has been under investigation in Attorney General Andrew Cuomo's state pension-fund probe. White had been at the museum for 20 years, and said stepping down wasn't an easy decision, but gave no details as to why he was leaving. more ›

White Plains Mayor Adam Bradley was in court today, to face a second round of charges accusing him of abusing his wife. Bradley's troubles have prompted rumors that he will resign, though a spokesman said, "He continues to do the work he was elected to do." more ›

Just a week after State Police Superintendent Harry Corbitt resigned amid charges Gov. Paterson used state troopers to intimidate a woman involved in a domestic violence case with a top aide, the man appointed to the position has stepped down. In a letter to the governor First Deputy Supt. Pedro Perez said “that continuing in my position as acting superintendent may be an obstacle to progress of the New York State Police, an agency I love.’’ It's still unclear whether Perez, who the Post says is currently under investigation by Attorney General Cuomo, resigned fearing the consequences of his own role in the scandal, or if working for Gov. Paterson is just that bad. more ›

Rep. Eric Massa says the allegations of sexual harassment that forced him to announce his resignation stem from an incident at a wedding reception in which he told a male staffer: "[W]hat I really ought to be doing is fracking you." Massa—an ardent supporter of single-payer healthcare and opponent of the current healthcare bill—admitted the statement was "inappropriate," but said Democratic leaders launched an ethics probe against him in an effort to convince him to resign before the vote on healthcare. more ›

Lawmakers, especially Brooklyn councilman Charles Barron, are upset about a private meeting yesterday between Attorney General Cuomo and Lt. Gov. Ravitch. Allegedly, the two top officials were discussing the possibility of a resignation by Gov. Paterson, as well as the state budget which Ravitch is helping to write. According to NY1, “Barron said such a meeting comes too close to crossing the line in terms of conflicts of interest, as Cuomo is likely to run for governor, and that the attorney general should remove himself from the investigation of Paterson.” He and other community leaders will hold a press conference today, calling for Cuomo to disinvolve himself from the probe into Paterson’s accused wrongdoing. more ›

Facing allegations he had harassed a male staffer, Democratic Congressman and self-described "salty old sailor" Eric Massa has announced he will resign. In a statement posted on his website, the first-term southwestern New York representative acknowledged his statements made a member of his staff feel "uncomfortable," and stated: "I own this reality ... I want to make something perfectly clear. My difficulties are of my own making. Period." more ›

Last Saturday, the Reverend Al Sharpton convened a meeting of Democratic leaders to discuss Governor Paterson's position. The group of mostly black leaders announced their support of the governor, who had just given up his gubernatorial campaign in the wake of his aide's abuse scandal, but now that there are more questions around Paterson's conduct, Sharpton is holding another meeting tonight. more ›

In today's breaking "another NY politician embroiled in possible scandal" news, Politico reports that upstate Congressman Eric Massa (D) is retiring after one term: "According to several House aides - on both sides of the aisle - the House ethics committee has been informed of allegations that Massa, who is married with two children, sexually harassed a male staffer." more ›

NY State Police Superintendent Harry Corbitt has stepped down from his position as the scandal surrounding the alleged abuse by a Paterson top aide continues to grow. Governor Paterson and members of the State Police security detail assigned to protect him have been accused of pressuring an alleged domestic violence victim into dropping her legal action against the aide, David Johnson. Of course, yesterday Corbitt partly blamed the media glare for his departure, "It’s very difficult, but when your character is being attacked every day and you really don’t have a recourse to defend yourself. Any individual who is criticized constantly feels that pain. And in most cases there is some way to fight back. But in public service there is not. I’m not an elected official, I’m a public servant, I’m a cop. A good cop." more ›

Sure, Governor Paterson announced he wouldn't seek election this year in the wake of the scandal involving abuse accusations against his aide—and his own and the State Police's involvement in speaking with the accuser—but is that good enough? A number of other politicians called for him to resign; City Comptroller John Liu, who called Paterson a friend, said, "We have a $4.1 billion budget deficit to grapple with in New York City and cannot make real progress until the State budget is resolved on time one month from now. In order for this to happen, we need Governor Paterson to step down now." more ›

Now that Governor Paterson is expected to drop his 2010 gubernatorial bid (though it's unclear when and if he will have a press conference) after news of abuse accusations against his aide were revealed—as well as his own and the State Police's involvement in with the accuser—the next question is whether he should remain installed as governor. The local papers are, at best, skeptical and, at worst, angry. more ›