Ridge quits; rumors begin

WASHINGTON — Speculation is already swirling around a possible successor to Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, who announced his resignation Tuesday, including two names familiar to Utahns — former Olympic chief Mitt Romney and former Gov. Mike Leavitt.

Both are among a half dozen names being mentioned as candidates for the job.

But Romney, governor of Massachusetts, has already told White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card last month he's not interested. "He's staying put," said Eric Fehrnstrom, Romney's communications director. "The governor has made it clear that he will serve all four years."

Fehrnstrom added that Romney was never contacted by White House leaders to discuss the position, but that "unfounded speculation" in local newspapers became a distraction to the governor.

Last month, both the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald suggested Romney could land the spot. Romney was elected chair of the Homeland Security Funding Task Force in March and is one of the National Governors Association's "co-leads" on homeland security. Romney also sits on the Department of Homeland Security Advisory Council and chairs its State Senior Advisory Committee.

Leavitt could not be contacted Tuesday for comment, but last month in an interview he said he planned to stay put as head of the Environmental Protection Agency. "I have no reason to believe I'll be doing anything other than what I'm doing," Leavitt said.

Ridge, 59, is the seventh cabinet member to announce plans to depart before President Bush's second term.

There was no evidence that Ridge was under any pressure to step aside but also no indication that Bush had made a concerted effort to convince him to stay.

Ridge led the new Department of Homeland Security through a historic restructuring of government in which 22 agencies were merged into one. The resulting 180,000-employee department garnered mixed reviews, and was sometimes ridiculed for its five-color terror alert system. In addition, several high-level officials have left the department after brief tenures.

In a one-page resignation letter, Ridge said that he was ready "to give personal and family matters a higher priority" after 22 consecutive years of public service.

"The president has given me an extraordinary opportunity to serve my country; I will always be grateful for his call to service," Ridge said at a news conference.

Ridge said he would stay in the job until Feb. 1 or until the Senate confirms his successor. He would not speculate on his plans but is reportedly eager to earn more money in the private sector, in part because of the cost of sending his two children to college.

His name has been mentioned as a possible 2008 presidential candidate.