GOP state attorney general candidate George Brauchler’s claim (The Durango Herald, Aug. 8) that his Democratic opponent Phil Weiser lacks “courtroom experience” badly misses the boat. No sitting AG has tried a case since the late 1800s, and criminal justice is only a small part of the AG’s job. The AG’s main role is to be the “lawyer for the state,” an executive responsible for a large team of lawyers addressing areas of law from antitrust to consumer protection to water law, as well as advising state agencies across the board.
Weiser has an outstanding background and is a perfect fit for this important job. His level of courtroom experience is comparable to three of the past four attorneys general when they took office: Democrat Ken Salazar, and Republicans Cynthia Coffman and Gale Norton (whom I’m sure Brauchler would not have called unqualified). Whatever Brauchler would like Durango voters to believe, Colorado’s Attorney General is not some sort of “super-prosecutor” or “trial attorney.”
Weiser is far and away the best candidate running for this position. Phil’s record of leading complex litigation to protect consumers at the U.S. Department of Justice, managing teams of dozens of lawyers to get rural broadband to first-responders, and serving as dean and chief executive of the University of Colorado law school shows he’s got just the right kind of leadership experience. Claiming otherwise is misleading and disingenuous, and Brauchler knows better.
I hope you will join me in voting for Weiser for Colorado attorney general.
Carol Cure
Durango
