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Office
Sought: Attorney
General Name:
Douglas
Gansler Age:
44 Marriage
status:
Married Website:
http://www.gansler2006.com |
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Education: B.A.,
Yale University, cum laude; J.D., University of Virginia School of Law
Work Experience:
Montgomery County State's Attorney (1998-present); adjunct professor of law, American University School of Law; Assistant U.S. Attorney (1992-1998); Counsel, Coburn & Schertler; Associate, Howrey & Simon Previous
Political Offices Held:
None Brief Biography: Please see bio section of our website: http://www.gansler2006.com/about.asp 1. Why are you running for this office? As
Maryland’s Attorney General, I want to be the people’s lawyer.
I see an opportunity as Attorney General to build on the kind of
innovative and effective programs to improve justice that I launched in
Montgomery County – successful efforts to fight gangs in our schools,
deal more effectively with domestic violence, and look out for seniors.
I have also focused on new types of crime like internet fraud and
identity theft because if we are going to keep our communities and
families safe, we have to stay one step ahead of the criminals.
That’s the same reason I made sure that we were the first local
office in the nation to fully implement community-based prosecution, so
that our crime-fighting teams know neighborhoods and community leaders
and are thus able to work with them to solve problems. 2.
If you are elected, what do you intend to do to help Harford
County with its gang problem. To combat gang violence in Harford County and across Maryland, I will work to enact a statewide RICO statute. A RICO statute allows the Attorney General’s Office to prosecute criminal gangs, and their members, as a group, making it easier to obtain convictions for violent criminals. It has proven to be a very effective crime fighting tool at the federal level and in those states which have RICO statutes. I will also ensure that federal, state and local law enforcement agencies work seamlessly to better coordinate crime prevention efforts. 3. What can Maryland do to stem the violence in our neighborhoods? By focusing on community-based prosecution, the Attorney General can assist Maryland’s communities in stemming violence in their neighborhoods. I was the first local prosecutor to fully implement community-based prosecution. I divided the office into teams based on six geographic regions that mirror the police department’s organization of precincts. I assigned prosecutors to these teams so prosecutors are far more familiar with neighborhoods and community leaders. This allows prosecutors to work closely with the community when problems arise. I have also assigned a prosecutor to every public school in the county. As issues have arisen, from violence at sporting events to gang problems, school principals have a specific person in my office with whom to work to solve the problem.4.
What in your mind is the biggest problem facing Maryland as it
enters the 21st century and how do you expect to correct this problem? One
of the biggest problems facing Maryland is the destruction of our state
treasure, the Chesapeake Bay. I
will fight to protect the Bay beginning with an environmental audit mile
by mile of every tributary, stream and river that feeds into the Bay.
I will greatly increase the number of prosecutor assigned to the
Environment Crimes section of the Attorney General’s Office and we
will use the results of this environmental audit to find and prosecute
the polluters, in state and out of state, who are poisoning the Bay.
We are approaching a point of no return regarding the health of
the Bay and our other water bodies, and I plan on actively and
aggressively enforcing the environmental laws we have.
If elected, this effort will be a cornerstone of my
administration.
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