Bucher, Van
Hollen meet at MBA forum
By
Jack Zemlicka
Wisconsin Law Journal
Sept.
6, 2006
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Paul
Bucher Discussing the problem of violence in Milwaukee:
“This
year there were 26 shootings after Memorial Day; that’s
unacceptable. It’s not just a Milwaukee problem, it’s a
statewide problem.”
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Moments
prior to taking their seats at an open forum at the Milwaukee
Bar Association on Aug. 29, J.B. Van Hollen casually asked Paul
Bucher if he were “ready for this,” to which Bucher
responded, “I’m always ready.”
The
private exchange between the two Republican candidates for Wisconsin
Attorney General could have established an overly combative atmosphere,
but the structured hour-long debate was ultimately free of overt
verbal assaults.
Less
than a week after hosting Democratic candidates Kathleen Falk
and incumbent Peg Lautenschlager, the MBA held a forum for Waukesha
County District Attorney Paul Bucher and J.B. Van Hollen, former
U.S. attorney for the Western District.
While
both Bucher and Van Hollen extensively explained their differences
in opinion with their Democratic counterparts, the two were often
closer to each other when describing how they would approach the
role of attorney general; however, there were some variations.
Both
men highlighted the crime lab backlog as one of the most prominent
issues facing the Department of Justice and chided the current
attorney general’s lack of success in alleviating the problem.
“It’s
not that difficult to solve,” said Van Hollen. “I would
make it my number one priority and make sure it’s properly
funded even before other programs and certainly before throwing
money away on frivolous lawsuits like our current attorney general
has done.”
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J.B.
Van Hollen discussing the state crime lab backlog:
“I
would make it my number one priority and make sure it’s
properly funded even before other programs and certainly
before throwing money away on frivolous lawsuits like our
current attorney general has done.”
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Bucher
furthered the sentiment by noting that Lautenshlager failed to
plan for the future in requesting only four new lab analysts and
that was “unacceptable.”
The
candidates differed on how they would obtain dollars for the initiative.
Van Hollen suggested zero-based budgeting, outsourcing and privatization,
while Bucher proposed a surcharge increase for analysis which
would “put the cost on the offender, not on the law abiding
citizens.”
Van
Hollen and Bucher also stressed the importance of attacking illegal
immigration in the state, again with varying approaches, although
each claimed to be the only candidate with a defined plan.
Unlike
the Democratic candidates, Bucher believed it was the state’s
responsibility to take an “active role,” in immigration
law. He supported post-sentence deportation of immigrants who
committed crimes, but also noted that deportation prior to serving
jail time “could be a possibility, depending on the severity
of the crime.”
Van
Hollen was not in favor of deportation prior to a conviction and
pledged to work with other government agencies on the issue.
A
peripheral question concerned voter fraud which both candidates
viewed as a rising problem not only in the nation, but in Wisconsin.
Van
Hollen suggested photo identification upon registering to vote
and other provisions. Bucher conceded that it would be impossible
to completely eliminate voter fraud, but that it is ultimately
up to the individual to take responsibility, especially in the
case of felons.
“I’m
talking about criminals who are out there voting without having
their civil rights restored,” said Bucher. “Right now,
we have no way to track this, no database and we have to rely
solely on the individual.”
Violent
crime was another hot topic as both planned crackdowns in both
urban and rural areas.
While
Waukesha County has significantly fewer murders than Milwaukee,
Bucher insisted that a person doesn’t have to grow up in
a high crime area to be affected by it.
“I
grew up in Milwaukee and this year there were 26 shootings after
Memorial Day; that’s unacceptable,” said Bucher. “It’s
not just a Milwaukee problem, it’s a statewide problem.”
Van
Hollen proposed a closer relationship with law enforcement agencies
and planned to avoid “Band-aid,” approaches of the past
which provided “quick, short-term and expensive solutions.”
“Look
at a place like New York where their violent crime situation was
considered out of control,” said Van Hollen. “City officials
worked in conjunction with the law enforcement community to put
effective plans in place much like the Safe Neighborhood program
I helped establish in Janesville and Beloit.”
Both
candidates also supported the Nov. 7 advisory referendum on the
death penalty, though they were skeptical the legislation would
pass.
Neither
anticipated an increased burden on the appellate division, but
both pointed out other areas which the implementation of the death
penalty would impact. Bucher noted long-term costs of capital
punishment, while Van Hollen emphasized an increased need for
specialized personnel.
On
the subject of administrative ability, Bucher touted his managerial
skills as the district attorney in Waukesha, while Van Hollen
emphasized “discretion,” and planning the best courses
of action for civil involvement.
The
Milwaukee Bar Association is hoping to host another forum after
the Sept. 12 primary elections for the Democratic and Republican
candidates.
Jack
Zemlicka can be reached by email.
