
DATE: Tuesday, September 16, 1997           TAG: 9709160407

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A4   EDITION: FINAL 

TYPE: FOCUS

                                            LENGTH:  203 lines

FOCUS: ELECTION '97 IN THEIR OWN WORDSTHE VIRGINIAN-PILOT ASKED THE CANDIDATES FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL TO WRITE, IN 750 WORDS OR FEWER, THEIR OWN JOB DESCRIPTION - FOCUSING ON VISION, NOT DETAILS, AND WITHOUT MENTIONING THEIR OPPONENT OR HIS POSITIONS.

A BETTER QUALITY OF LIFE

BY WILLIAM D. DOLAN III

Today, I see a Virginia where men and women work hard to build a better quality of life in their community. Virginia's greatest asset is her communities, their individual character and their strength. But today, too many of our communities are under threat from crime, neglect and apathy. Four years from now, our work together will produce a Virginia that is stronger, safer and provides a better quality of life for all Virginia families.

To build stronger communities, we must all accept responsibility for our actions. And we must invest in our communities. Education remains the cornerstone of building better communities, because our schools are a reflection of our communities. Drugs, gangs and disrespectful youth are not limited to school yards.

As Attorney General, I will fight for greater discipline in the classroom, because learning cannot occur in an atmosphere of chaos and disruption. Our teachers must be free to teach and our students must be free to learn - without fear of violence. I'll fight frivolous lawsuits which strangle our school system, and I'll call on teachers to demand more of students, of their parents, and of themselves.

We all see a Virginia today where juvenile crime is escalating out of control. The Virginia State Police tell us that there has been a 350 percent increase in the number of juvenile drug offenses in Virginia in the last five years. With drug use comes the familiar cycle of crime. Every day in Virginia, the youth behind these statistics enter our classrooms.

We will demand parents take responsibility. Too many youth are wandering around unsupervised and unfocused. We will compete for the attention of Virginia's youth. By encouraging, and perhaps requiring, extracurricular activities for all students, so Virginia's youth spend less time on the street corner and more time on the playing field or in a club meeting. We must confront the lure of the street with hope, opportunity, structure and purpose.

Our communities are full of existing resources and I intend to call upon all of them. I will call on volunteers. I will recruit Virginia's retired military personnel back into service working with our schools, juvenile courts and the departments of parks and recreation to provide structured, goal-oriented programs for our young. Who better to drill the concept of respect into a teen-ager's head than a former Drill Sergeant? I will ask Virginia's retirees, military and civilian, one question: Are you up for one more challenge?

There is no substitute for the solid and tough enforcement of our Commonwealth's laws. No one will be tougher on criminals than me. But I will not stop there. I will also work to prevent the next Virginian from becoming the next crime victim, because I see a Virginia where we are no longer afraid to leave our homes and live in our communities. I see a Virginia where crimes are not only prosecuted, they are prevented.

As Attorney General, I will work for stronger communities by seeking solutions which ignore political boundaries and encourage communities to work together. Petty regionalism has hurt our Commonwealth in the past. Virginia cannot reach its potential until we all believe that no region will prosper long unless all the regions of Virginia prosper. If the ports of Hampton Roads are not supported and expanded, all of Virginia will suffer.

As your Attorney General, our communities will have a voice in the marketplace protecting consumers in new areas like health care and traditional ones like telecommunications, electricity, insurance and banking.

With the enormous changes and ongoing complications of managed care and its new institutions like HMOs, I will make certain that the patient is not removed from health-care decisions. Someone must be willing to fight for better health care for our communities - for patients' rights. And, I'll wage that fight.

With the enormous changes occurring in telecommunications, banking and financial services, I will use the power of the Office of Attorney General to make certain the interests of all Virginians are considered as we move forward.

Finally, as your Attorney General, I would not sit idly by while the unscrupulous among us ruin our communities polluting our streams and destroying our lands. The Attorney General has direct responsibility for the enforcement of our environmental laws. During the last four years, Virginia's record of conserving our natural resources has been miserable. We will do better. I see a Virginia where our children and grandchildren can hunt, fish and hike these great Virginia by-ways because we worked to make certain we passed a cleaner environment onto their generation.

On the role of attorney general: The role of the Attorney General has two basic functions. First, the Attorney General is the lawyer for the General Assembly and more than 200 state agencies. The Attorney General has the authority to act on behalf of consumers in issues ranging from utility and telecommunications deregulation to consumer fraud to health care regulation.

The second function of the Attorney General is to use the office as a bully pulpit for important public policy issues such as crime, education and the environment.

As Attorney General, I will lead the fight against juvenile drug use and crime. I have a plan to fight juvenile drug use and crime which combines swift punishment with realistic, workable prevention programs. Central to my plan is working with parents, teachers, police officers and local communities to provide parents and children with a broad choice of after-school programs that can defeat the lure of the street and keep our children away from drugs and crime.

A SOLID FOUNDATION

BY MARK L. EARLEY

I envision a Virginia four years from now that has laid a solid foundation for the next century, a century that must hold promise and opportunity for all Virginians. To do this we must lay the foundation for strengthening Virginia's families, for excellence in education, for racial reconciliation, for economic growth and development, for confidence and trust in our legal system, for safe streets and schools, for protection of our environment and natural resources, and for advocacy for those who cannot advocate for themselves.

Vital to this foundation is a commitment on the part of all Virginians to the principle of the worth and dignity of each individual. This principle is the cornerstone of liberty and freedom.

Based upon the gains we have made, I believe this Virginia is possible. It was only four years ago that Virginians were worried about public safety, concerned about a revolving-door prison system, and fearful of rising juvenile crime. They supported parental notification in underage abortions, but were unable to enact any legislation. They were disappointed in a welfare system that failed to recognize the dignity and worth of each individual and failed to create opportunity and hope. And they were concerned that Virginia had lost its competitive edge in attracting business and jobs to the Commonwealth.

These concerns led Virginia to take action and to enact sweeping reforms that passed with broad bipartisan support. I was proud to be a part of that change. I was a chief sponsor of welfare reform and parental notification. Today, I see a Virginia where freedom is on the rise, rights are balanced with responsibilities, and the scope of government is limited.

This record of accomplishment was the result of listening to the people of Virginia and being willing to tackle the tough problems of change. At the turn of the century, we have the opportunity to make history, not to suffer history. Indeed, Virginia is poised to once again lead the nation as we enter the 21st century.

In four years, Virginia will be turning the corner into a new century and approaching the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Jamestown settlement. As we reflect on the past and dream about the future, we must remember that what made America great in her greatest days was a commitment to the principle of the dignity and worth of each individual. It was that principle that helped establish the republic and is enshrined in our Declaration of Independence. We must commit ourselves anew to the protection of each individual's inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

It will be my goal to educate a new generation of Virginians about these principles as they embark on their journey into the 21st century. These principles will also be my guideposts as I uphold the gains we have made and lay a solid foundation upon which to create a future for our families.

On the role of attorney general:

The role of the Attorney General of Virginia is to advise the Governor, the General Assembly, and state agencies, to enforce the laws of the Commonwealth and to represent the interests of the people of Virginia in state and federal courts. Beyond that textbook role, however, the Attorney General has the opportunity to promote legislation, guide public policy and work for change for all Virginians.

I will apply the same principles I have tried to consistently apply in my 10 years in the Senate: that each individual has dignity and worth, that the rights and liberties we enjoy belong to all Virginians; that government works best when it is efficient, limited, and supportive of our families; that consistency and honesty are prerequisites to public service; that each generation must commit itself anew to freedom.

This is how I put my ``stamp'' on the Virginia Senate. These principles caused me to fight for welfare reform, juvenile justice reform, crime victims' rights, and parental notification. These principles will guide me as Attorney General as I defend these gains in court.

How an individual Attorney General puts his stamp on the office is less important than what principles he applies in carrying out his duties.

Compassion, consistency, honesty and a record of representing all Virginians should be the primary qualifications for Attorney General. I have tried to demonstrate that commitment during my ten years in the senate and pledge to my fellow Virginians to do the same as Attorney General.

---------------------------- ILLUSTRATION: Photos

TAMARA VONINSKI/The Virginian-Pilot

BETH BERGMAN/The Virginian-Pilot

Graphic

WILLIAN D. DOLAN III

PERSONAL

52, lives in Arlington.

Democrat.

EDUCATION

Marquette University, BA, 1967; Columbus School of Law, Catholic

University, JD, 1972

EMPLOYMENT