When Sheila Oliver, the then Lieutenant Governor died in August, 2023, I happened to be in the Parsippany Public Library.

Someone saw the news online and said to no one in particular, "The lieutenant governor died."

A number of voices said just about in unison:

"Who was he?" or "What was his name?"

That's the point. Average people are unlikely to know who New Jersey's lieutenant governor is.

Oliver actually had a visible political profile as Assembly Speaker before becoming LG under Phil Murphy.

But still, that hardly made her a household name beyond the state's not too large political class.

This anecdote is presented in light of the emerging scandal - if we can call it that - involving Dale Caldwell, the current Lieutenant governor.

It surfaced Friday that Caldwell is being investigated by the Sherrill Administration for alleged inappropriate behavior with women and other ethics violations.

As this story reverberated through state political circles, sources were already speculating that Caldwell would need to resign. One source said replacements are already being considered.

For Gov. Mikie Sherrill, this is clearly a test of her goal to run a transparent and clean shop.

To her credit, the governor's office is investigating the matter.

Cynics would note that Caldwell's troubles, - first reported by the NJ Globe - surfaced on the Friday afternoon before Labor Day weekend. That's a pretty good time for bad news to come out.

The larger point, however, is that no matter what happens to Caldwell, this episode will soon be forgotten. The LG is just not the type of office average people know or care about.

This has nothing to do with the ability of those who have occupied the office since it was created in 2010.

It has to do with an unfortunate public apathy about state government. The demise of traditional newspaper coverage of Trenton just exacerbates things.

So, no matter how this turns out, it is unlikely to have any consequential impact on Sherrill's term.

Republicans, not surprisingly, are hoping that is not the case.

Anthony M. Bucco, the Senate Republican Leader, wants Caldwell to step aside - at least temporarily - while the investigation proceeds.

He also is uncomfortable with Caldwell being Acting Governor if Sherrill leaves the state. That would give him a chance to pardon himself for any crimes, Bucco said.

Christine Hanlon, the state GOP chair, was similarly outraged. Here is part of what she said in a statement.
"One mess after another in the Sherrill Administration. An active investigation led by a former Attorney General (Chris Porrino) into allegations of inappropriate behavior by Lieutenant Governor Caldwell toward women is the latest. And talk about failure to be transparent - the Sherrill Administration waited until the Friday before Labor Day to disclose this serious investigation."