Projo Politics Blog

Democratic Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch today announced he has been endorsed by five labor and civic organizations in his campaign against Republican J. William W. Harsch.

The groups are the Rhode Island Latino Political Action Committee, the Rhode Island International Brotherhood of Police Officers, the Rhode Island Fraternal Order of Police, the Rhode Island Brotherhood of Correctional Officers, and the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN).

The announcement from Lynch’s campaign quoted Anthony Capezza, state director of the Rhode Island International Brotherhood of Police Officers, as saying, “Patrick has proven to the citizens of Rhode Island that he is a tough prosecutor who fights crime and upholds criminal convictions on appeal.”

Lynch said, “I am honored to have the support of such an exceptional group of outstanding law enforcement officials and civic leaders.”

J. William W. Harsch, the Republican candidate for attorney general, today made a series of proposals for making the office more “open and accountable,” including open office hours, a toll-free tip line and elimination of the position of attorney general’s spokesperson.

In his “AG Access” plan, Harsch accused the office of his opponent, Democratic Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch, of having a “behind-closed-door approach to conducting business.”

“We face a crisis of mistrust of our government, and specifically within the Office of Attorney General,” Harsch said in a news release. “I will work tirelessly to restore a sense of confidence and trust in the attorney general’s office by opening up a direct line of communication between my administration and the public.”

Harsch called for office hours to let people talk directly to the attorney general; an online consumer alert forum and toll-free tip line to report consumer scams; regular town hall meetings throughout the state; and the elimination of the spokesperson’s job.

“The buck stops here,” Harsch said. “Spokespeople tend to distance the attorney general from the public, often protecting him/her from criticism.”

Campaign coordinator Tom Shevlin said Harsch would maintain a public relations office, but Harsch would talk directly to reporters. He said Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal often talks directly to reporters.

Lynch’s campaign manager, Andrea Iannazzi, said, “With 14 days to go and the clock running out, our opponent’s barrage of campaign rhetoric is becoming increasingly bizarre. Today, on one hand, he proposes increasing public access while on the other hand eliminating the public information officer, who handles close to 10,000 press calls and inquiries from the public every year. His lack of understanding of the role of the attorney general and of the work of the office is yet again glaringly evident.”

-- Journal staff writer Edward Fitzpatrick