As the states top lawyer, our attorney general should first be an outstanding lawyer. That requires sustantial courtroom experience, as well as an ability to get opposing interests to settle their differences.
This year, there are two competitive primary races for the position, which is being vacated by three-term Attorney General Chris Gregoire. The best choices, based on their legal experience and other factors, are Republican Mike Vaska and Democrat Mark Sidran.
Vaska is a particularly strong candidate. He is regarded in legal circles as a highly skilled litigator, a reputation he has earned in nearly 18 years at a leading law firm working on a variety of complex cases. He is no novice to the public arena, having been a lead player for several years on Puget Sound transportation issues.
And importantly, in a race where partisanship should have no place, Vaska is a political moderate who isnt beholden to party leaders. The fact that he was encouraged to run by former Gov. Dan Evans, an icon of political independence and compromise, in itself makes Vaska an attractive candidate.
Vaska brings to the race excellent ideas for improving efficiency and maintaining quality in the attorney generals office, bringing proven private-sector solutions to the table. For example, he would adopt the modern model of developing more of the states attorneys into specialists in certain areas rather than spreading the offices collective expertise too thin. He would also infuse a top-to-bottom culture of accountability into the office.
Refreshingly, Vaska also would train state agencies to do business in a way that helps avoid litigation, curbing what he calls a litigation tax money the state spends paying legal claims. Vaska pegs the current cost at $120 for a family of four, a price he says is doubling every four years.
Vaskas opponent, Metro King County Council member Rob McKenna, has been a full-time legislator the past eight years and is the favorite of the state party. We prefer Vaska for his demonstrated legal skills, fresh ideas and independence.
In the Democratic primary, former Seattle City Attorney Sidran gets our recommendation over former state Insurance Commissioner Deborah Senn in a close call.
Sidrans independence from party politics is a point in his favor, as are his demonstrated skills in the courtroom and experience managing a legal team. Senns experience running a large state agency is a strong point, as is her record of consumer advocacy.
Senns list of endorsements, however, reads like a whos who of traditional Democratic supporters, leading us to wonder just how independent an attorney general she could be.
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