Chuck Rosenthal may be gone, but his memory lingers ever still.
Chuck Rosenthal resigned 10 days ago as Harris County district attorney amid a scandal over e-mail, accused of sending and receiving racist, sexist and political messages and deleting others sought in a federal civil rights lawsuit.But he still is on the public payroll.
Rosenthal, who stepped down Feb. 15 under threat of legal removal from office, will continue to receive his $160,000 annual salary, according to county officials, because the state constitution technically keeps him in office until a successor is sworn in.
Rosenthal, 62, will remain on the payroll until Gov. Rick Perry appoints an interim replacement -- or the disgraced former prosecutor submits his retirement papers, according to a memorandum obtained by the Houston Chronicle under the Texas Public Information Act.
"Yes, a replacement must be appointed, and she/he must qualify for office by taking the oath of office and posting a bond," John Barnhill, First Assistant County Attorney, wrote last week to the county's payroll director, Richard Foisner. "Then Mr. Rosenthal is out and his pay ends."
County officials said today that Rosenthal has not yet retired. He was last paid on Thursday, for a work period that ended the day he resigned.
UPDATE: Matt Stiles has an interesting update to the question about when Rosenthal's pay should terminate.
I've since learned that the Texas Attorney General's Office, however, disagrees [with Barnhill]. A deputy there wrote the County Attorney's Office last week, saying the county "cannot continue" paying Rosenthal. The letter [PDF] doesn't, however, state why the constitutional provision doesn't apply.