ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, January 16, 1996 TAG: 9601160081
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-2 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: WASHINGTON
SOURCE: Knight-Ridder/Tribune|
Rep. William F. Clinger Jr., a Republican who has represented Pennsylvania's 5th Congressional District since 1979, said Monday that he will not seek re-election.
With Clinger's announcement, 35 House members and 12 U.S. senators have said they are not seeking re-election this year, the most retirees in a century.
Why the stampede back to private life? Some analysts say that members are looking to cash in on their government experience with lobbying groups.
Others suggest that the loss of esteem for public officeholders has the veterans wanting out.
``A lot of folks feel the profession no longer commands respect,'' said political scientist G. Terry Madonna of Millersville (Pa.) University. ``There's a lot of frustration in working in such a deeply divided, ideological place. In some ways, it's become a thankless task.''
Clinger's news will likely be welcomed at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue - in the White House.
As chairman of the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee, Clinger is spearheading the investigation into Hillary Rodham Clinton's role in the 1993 firing of White House Travel Office personnel.
LENGTH: Short : 35 lines KEYWORDS: POLITICSby CNB