Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, March 25, 1993 TAG: 9303250344
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUGLAS PARDUE
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
TUCKER TENDERS RESIGNATION
E. Montgomery Tucker, U.S. attorney for the Western District of Virginia, submitted his resignation Wednesday but offered to remain in office until a successor can be chosen and confirmed.Tucker's resignation came in response to a request from President Clinton's newly appointed attorney general, Janet Reno.
Clinton had delayed making appointments to the nation's U.S. attorney posts until he filled the attorney general's job.
Tuesday, Reno asked for resignations from all U.S. attorneys nationwide.
Tucker, 54, was appointed U.S. attorney in 1991 to fill the vacancy of John Perry Alderman, a Reagan appointee who retired.
Although Tucker is a Republican and a Republican appointee, he is not active politically.
He became an assistant U.S. attorney in the Western District of Virginia nearly 20 years ago and considers himself "a career prosecutor."
When he began in 1973 he was one of just three assistant U.S. attorneys covering the western half of the state. Now the office has 17 assistants, one unfilled vacancy, and 30 support personnel.
Tucker prides himself on the fact that his office continues to more than pay for its operation from fines and fees collected.
The office cost $2.2 million to operate in the last fiscal year, and brought in $3.5 million, he said.
The office also has one of the highest caseloads in the country, he said.
Tucker declined to comment on what he plans to do when replaced. But he may be retained by the Justice Department, possibly for his expertise as a legal evaluator of U.S. attorney's office and case management.
Several Democrats already have lined up to replace Tucker. The front-runner generally is considered to be Robert P. Crouch Jr., a former Henry County Circuit Court clerk. Others whose names have come up include John Edwards, a former U.S. attorney from Roanoke; John Fishwick, an unsuccessful candidate for Congress from Roanoke; Tim McAfee, Wise County commonwealth's attorney; and John Buck, Radford's commonwealth's attorney.
It is not known when an appointment will be made.
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