Carroll County Attorney Charles W. Thompson Jr. said yesterday that he will leave the job he has held for 16 years to become Montgomery County attorney.
Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan announced Mr. Thompson's appointment at a news conference in Rockville. The County Council still must approve the appointment.
"His name is well respected in state and national legal circles, and he has proven himself to be a top-notch public administrator," Mr. Duncan said about Mr. Thompson in a statement released yesterday.
Mr. Thompson, 46, of Westminster will supervise a staff of 49 people and oversee a $2.7 million budget.
In Carroll, the county attorney's office has 14 employees and a budget of about $500,000.
His salary will increase to $90,000 from $73,398.
"Obviously, it is a big career change for me in terms of advancement," Mr. Thompson said. "It's a real change. There's a certain feeling of leaving home."
He and his wife, Jean, plan to move to Montgomery County this summer.
Mr. Thompson will leave the Carroll job in 30 days.
He submitted his resignation Wednesday.
He said uncertainty about staff changes by the recently elected Carroll County commissioners might make led him to look for a new job. He said he applied for the Montgomery County job last month.
"If the commissioners had said they wanted me for another four years, I wouldn't even be looking," Mr. Thompson said.
Two new commissioners took office Dec. 5. Rumors had surfaced that the three-member board would replace Mr. Thompson or privatize the office.
Commissioner W. Benjamin Brown said, "It sounds like he's got a very good job. I would just take it at face value. He left because he had a great career opportunity."
Mr. Brown said the commissioners probably won't decide on a replacement for Mr. Thompson within 30 days.
"We first have to talk about what we want with that department. It's premature to say anything" about privatization, he said.
"The first priority is to make sure we have first-class legal service. I wouldn't rule anything out, but we're not leaning one way or the other," Mr. Brown said.
Commissioner Donald I. Dell was in Annapolis and could not be reached for comment. Commissioner Richard T. Yates is out of town.
In Montgomery, Mr. Thompson will replace Joyce R. Stern, who had been county attorney for four years. Mr. Duncan, who was elected in November, did not ask Ms. Stern to stay, said Marc P. Hansen, the acting county attorney.
Twenty-two people applied for the county attorney job, Mr. Hansen said.
He said he looks forward to working with Mr. Thompson.
"We're all excited about him coming. He brings with him a good reputation as a lawyer and a person to work for," Mr. Hansen said.
Before becoming Carroll County attorney, Mr. Thompson was an assistant state's attorney in Carroll for four years.
He graduated from the University of Baltimore School of Law in 1974. He received a bachelor's degree in history from the Virginia Military Institute in 1970.