Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 28, 1993 TAG: 9301280032
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BY ROB EURE STAFF WRITER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Medium
TERRY QUITS TO CAMPAIGN FOR GOVERNOR
WITH TERRY'S ANNOUNCEMENT came a sign that the rift between her and Gov. Douglas Wilder is healing - although Wilder still is withholding his endorsement.\Attorney General Mary Sue Terry will leave office at noon today to concentrate on her race for governor.
Terry, 45, Virginia's top lawyer for the past seven years, will step aside for her senior deputy, Stephen D. Rosenthal, who once practiced law in Radford.
Rosenthal becomes acting attorney general immediately under state law. He is expected to be appointed by the General Assembly today to complete Terry's term.
Terry said she was not moved by Republican calls for her to step down, but made the decision so she could gear up her campaign.
"I think it's appropriate and good government," said House Majority Leader Richard Cranwell, D-Vinton. "Being attorney general is probably the most demanding executive job we have in state government."
Republican legislators also praised the move.
Terry's departure was so well orchestrated that legislative committees already had moved to endorse Rosenthal as her replacement before her resignation announcement Wednesday.
Terry also confirmed Wednesday that her campaign manager will be Pam Womack, currently secretary of the commonwealth under Gov. Douglas Wilder.
Terry's decision suggested some healing of the rift between her and Wilder. They have been at odds since her critical investigation in the fall of operations at the Virginia Retirement System.
Wilder had suggested that Terry resign and on Wednesday praised her decision for removing any "smack of politics" from her office. He continued to withhold his endorsement, however. "You'll see evaluations on a day-to-day basis," he said.
Secretary of Education James Dyke, who many saw as a potential Wilder-backed challenger to Terry, decided against the race a day earlier, clearing her path to the Democratic nomination.
Both Wilder and Terry said their differences were never personal.
An early exit is a tradition among Virginia attorneys general running for higher office, though governors and other officeholders in other states routinely keep their jobs while running for re-election or for new offices.
Terry, who has about $1.3 million in her campaign fund, estimated the governor's race will cost more than $7 million. She said she plans for now to concentrate on raising money and shoring up support among Democratic constituencies.
A poll released last week shows Terry with impressive support among Democrats and healthy leads over each of the three contenders for the Republican gubernatorial nomination.
The same poll found that 51 percent of state voters did not believe Terry needs to resign as attorney general.
Terry hired Rosenthal in the attorney general's office when she arrived in 1986. He served in various positions before becoming chief deputy last April.
Born in Richmond and raised in Lynchburg, Rosenthal is a graduate of Washington and Lee University's School of Law in Lexington. He graduated in 1976 and began practicing law at the firm of Dalton and Jebo in Radford. The firm was founded by former GOP Gov. John Dalton.
He became a partner in the firm when Dalton was elected governor in 1978.
"I'm not surprised that Steve has been so successful because he has always been a very talented and gifted person," Jerry K. Jebo said. "He's the type of person who succeeds in whatever he does."
John B. Spiers, city attorney for Radford, said Rosenthal's good manners and sharp mind are the reason Terry tapped him as her replacement.
"He's very knowledgeable and smart as a whip, but he was also pleasant and respectful to the court, which is unusual in the legal profession," he said.
Staff writer Michael Stowe contri to this story.
Keywords:
POLITICS