Shannon for AG

In the race to become Virginia’s Attorney General for the next four years, are two lawyers: both from Fairfax County, both represent Northern Virginia residents in the General Assembly and both shared their platforms with this newspaper’s editorial board.

In our view, Democratic Delegate Steve Shannon has articulated a vision of the Attorney General’s office that is best in line with the needs of residents of Southwest Virginia – from his ideas about addressing prescription drug abuse to developing contractual agreements that allow public universities and private businesses to partner on projects that would bring jobs to the region.

Shannon has a solid background in public safety, including experience as a prosecutor. Republican state Sen. Ken Cuccinelli, a private practice attorney who deserves respect for his advocacy for people with mental illness, does not have this prosecutorial experience.

In an editorial board meeting earlier this month, Shannon outlined a clear understanding of the problems associated with drug addiction, especially the prescription drug addiction that is so common locally. From 1996-2005, 228 people in Western Virginia died from oxycodone overdoses.

Shannon also expressed support for so-called drug courts to focus on rehabilitation, as well as punishment, for drug-related crimes.

Shannon and his wife are responsible for bringing the Amber Alert system to Virginia – a method for informing the public of suspected child abductions to immediately enlist the public’s help.

And Shannon has pledged to focus on tracking down people who are viewing or sharing pornographic images of children in Virginia.

Shannon also has been a strong advocate for greater restrictions on payday lenders because of the oppressively high interest rates charged by some of these companies. We recognize that these companies take on higher risk by providing loans to people who might not qualify for other types of borrowing, but the excessive interest – sometimes 300 percent annually – combined with the fact that the loans must be paid back in a lump sum (versus in installments like credit card debt), make climbing out of the agreement nearly impossible. Shannon supports requiring these companies to be more clear with information before loans are made and capping interest amounts. These are initiatives we also support.

Overall, we believe Shannon has put forward a well-rounded platform of public safety goals for Virginia – prosecuting people who are viewing child porn, combating gang activity, protecting the public from predatory loan practices, keeping children safe from violence and more. He also has ideas to strengthen administrative functions of the office and to partner with local commonwealth’s attorneys offices to prosecute more crimes.

Cuccinelli is a talented attorney and legislator and he deserves praise for his handling of the Melendez case earlier this year. His work rightly insists that lab workers testify in court cases for which they have prepared reports, so as to make their findings clear to juries. And he was able to convince Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine to convene a special session of the General Assembly to pass this measure into law. Cuccinelli has acumen as a criminal defense attorney and in business law.

But we are troubled by his past efforts to ask Congress to amend the Constitution to deny citizenship to children of undocumented immigrants. Children born in this country are citizens of this country. Cuccinelli also has supported a measure to bar journalists from knocking on the doors of bereaved families. Both these bills failed to generate support, but they signal Cuccinelli’s possible social agenda.

For attorney general of Virginia, we want a person who has experience as a prosecutor and a broader agenda of public safety goals. We also need someone in that office who understands the need to create a legal environment in which the public and private sectors can both work on the real social issues burdening Virginia, such as a dearth of jobs in the more rural regions.

We believe Shannon has that experience and we urge you to support him Nov. 3.