http://66.225.205.104/1222union.mp3
Last month, Union County District Attorney John Snyder was re-elected to another four-year term. Now, he's resigning to take a job with a law firm in Charlotte . He wouldn't say how much more money he'll make, only that "my earning potential will increase." Snyder is taking a job with an Atlanta firm called FSB FisherBroyles. He will be a partner in a new litigation unit in the firm's Charlotte office. So, why run for re-election if there's a chance you're going to leave the job? "At the time of the election there was no chance, there was no other job to speak of," Snyder said. "The offer was made late in November, well after the election." Snyder won the Republican primary and was unopposed in the general election. He says he doesn't think of himself as quitting on the public. Not even a little bit. "Not at all, we have put together some of the best lawyers in the state in this office," he said. "There won't be any diminishment in service to the people. One of my lifetime goals it to do the best that I can. I'm making sure that I've left the place better than when I found it." One of his big-name hires is former Mecklenburg County assistant district attorney Marsha Goodenow. She headed the Mecklenburg DA's homicide unit until she was fired last month. Snyder quickly hired her. Snyder says Goodenow was aware he was thinking of taking a job in the private sector when she accepted a position in his office. But his resignation took the chairman of Union County Republican Party Chairm Jim Bention Sr. He says it would have better if Snyder decided to leave before filing for re-election, but he doesn't hold his decision against him. "I as a poitical leader have never forgotten the citizen part of elected officials or the human part, and them, like others, live and grow by opportunities that come their way." And Snyder says this opportunity was too good to pass up. His resignation takes effect January 1st. It's now up to Governor Perdue to name his replacement after candidates are vetted by her legal counsel. Snyder says he's recommended a former assistant DA named Trey Robison to be his replacement. Like Snyder, Robison is a Republican, but a Perdue spokeswoman says the governor is only obligated to appoint the best person for the job.