Leaving office January 1
MARQUETTE COUNTY -- The Marquette County Prosecuting Attorney, Gary L. Walker, announced on Monday that he will be resigning effective January 1, 2012. Walker has been serving for 38 years as the Public Prosecutor, which is the longest tenure in Michigan's history.
"I am proud of my service to the people of Marquette County and of the things I was able to accomplish," said Walker. "But I have also been looking forward to passing the torch to someone else."
Walker also said that his resignation comes sooner than he had planned, but budget cuts to the prosecutor office resulted in a loss of funding for one of his support staff and assistant prosecutor positions.
"Hopefully my leaving office before January 1st will create room in the budget to save a job for one of my assistant prosecutors, and we can also try to figure out some way to restore funding for the support staff position."
Walker became the Marquette County Prosecutor on February 1, 1974. He worked in office during the prison riots and the cases that resulted in the 1980s. During his tenure in office, he obtained nearly two million dollars in grant funding from the Department of Justice to help fight violence against women.
Walker has many career accomplishments including the Minister of Justice Award by the Criminal Justice Section for the American Bar Association. This award is given to a prosecuting attorney who exemplifies the highest legal standards in the criminal justice system.
Walker says that he plans to stay active in the Marquette community now that he is leaving office.
"I look forward to spending time with my wife, Colleen, traveling, visiting family, and perhaps do a little more hunting and fishing," Walker added. "We consider Marquette our home and intend to remain active in the community. My leaving office will also enable me to be more active politically, especially on a local level."
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