Retain A.G. Gregoire

Wed., Nov. 1, 2000

By John Webster johnwe@spokesman.com (509) 459-5421

Attorney General Christine Gregoire possesses toughness and integrity that are all too rare in politics. She goes after big-league wrongdoers and wins. When her staff makes a big mistake, she accepts responsibility and then acts to prevent a recurrence.

Gregoire negotiated and enforces the agreement that obligates a reluctant federal government to clean up radioactive waste at Hanford. She led negotiations that forced tobacco companies to cough up a $206 billion settlement with 46 of the states.

During the past year an attorney in her office neglected to meet an appellate deadline in a case where a jury had awarded $17.8 million to disabled men who were abused in a state-licensed group home. The lawyer’s lapse was appalling, though not as appalling as the lapse that hurt those disabled men. Gregoire has now implemented a new case-management system, to ensure that future lawsuits are resolved on the merits, not on procedural accidents.

Meanwhile, looking forward, this formidable attorney has become a national leader in the development of privacy laws to stop Internet fraud and identity theft. Her legal experience and commitment to the public are exactly what this problem requires.

Those same qualities make her worthy of your vote.

Local journalism is essential.

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