by Ryan McKeen
Part 3 of my interview with CT Attorney General Candidate George Jepsen.
RM: You’ve said that Mr. Blumenthal is “the gold standard for attorneys general.” What, if anything, will you do differently than Mr. Blumenthal as attorney general?
GJ: To Dick’s credit he has produced a body of accomplishment in his 20 years that certainly exceeds every other Attorneys General in the 50 states. Some of the things that he’s done, taken on the tobacco litigation, going after coal-burning power plants to clean up our air and forcing the social networking sites to police themselves to get out predators, have been inspired and he deserves enormous credit for them.
The Attorney General is there to be an advocate for the people of Connecticut, to protect their rights and take on the tough fights and to protect the public interest. I believe the Attorney General needs to be proactive. It is not enough to sit there, docile and wait for things to flow past you. That might have worked 40 or 50 years ago, but not in today’s environment. I would continue to be proactive.
Where we differ is this: I have less of a pure litigation background than Dick had coming into the job. My background tends to be more mediation and problem solving. As the majority leader of the state Senate, I found out that not every issue is black and white, right or wrong. Sometimes both sides have something right or partly right to say. It frequently creates a better outcome if both sides work to solve a problem brings a better solution.
That’s more a matter of style that probably distinguishes me. I really do want to be an attorney general who listens. I want to get the facts straight and move forward in a deliberate fashion to make sure you don’t do damage, even while you are trying to do some good.