Another Blow to Ailing District : Quick resignation by the convicted Rep. Tucker would ease pain in the 37th

Rep. Walter R. Tucker III (D-Compton) betrayed the trust of the people he was elected to represent. His conviction on nine felony counts including bribery and tax evasion is an embarrassment to the residents of his district, which includes Compton, Lynwood, Watts, Wilmington, Carson and parts of Long Beach.

This hard-scrabble district needs jobs, businesses, major stores, affordable housing and any other benefits that a strong and savvy congressional representative can deliver from Washington. Now the best thing Tucker can deliver is his resignation.

A speedy resignation, before the end of December, would allow a special election to proceed and would guarantee timely representation of the district. If Tucker puts off resigning until after Jan. 1, the delay will prevent an immediate special election and give Gov. Pete Wilson the option of holding the seat open until the term expires in January 1997. That of course would further deprive the district; Tucker needs to resign now and limit the pain inflicted on his constituents.

The charges against Tucker stemmed from his short tenure as mayor of Compton. He was convicted of extorting $30,000 in bribes and cheating on his income taxes while in that office in 1991 and 1992. The federal government’s most damaging evidence was nearly 30 hours of secretly recorded FBI video- and audiotapes that showed seven payoffs from a businessman who wanted to put a waste-regeneration plant in Compton and subsequently became an informant.

Tucker testified that he was a victim of entrapment and had been set up. Because he is a former prosecutor, he certainly could not have pleaded ignorance of the law. Because he is the son of a former mayor, he also should have known that his actions would be in the brightest of spotlights.

Tucker is the second congressman to be convicted this session. And he joins a short but sorry list, the fourth California congressman convicted of a crime while in office.

This case is another blow for Compton and the other communities that make up California’s 37th Congressional District. They deserve better.