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Committee to Elect
Vivian Houghton Attorney General
The News Journal, Oct. 25, 2002, Page B-1
Candidates
for attorney general meet
Brady and Schnee stress record; Houghton focuses on
independence
By Mary Allen
Staff Reporter
The three candidates for
attorney general tried to differentiate themselves Thursday at a
forum organized by the Italo-Americans United group of Wilmington.
Incumbent Republican M.
Jane Brady said she has developed policies and programs during her tenure
to combat violent criminals, school violence, and scam artists who prey on
senior citizens.
Green Party candidate
Vivian A. Houghton said she is an independent voice who is not afraid to
go after big polluters and class-action lawsuits against major
corporations, such as pharmaceutical companies.
Democrat Carl Schnee
touted his experience serving as U. S. attorney for Delaware in a 26-month
term that ended in April 2001 and as past chairman of the state's Criminal
Justice Council, a group of attorneys, court and other law enforcement
officials who help funnel federal grant money into Delaware.
About 25 people gathered
for the forum at the Knights of Columbus on Lancaster Avenue. The
Italo-Americans United was formed in 1977 to call attention to the
positive contributions Italian Americans make in the community, members
said.
Those who attended heard
from candidates vying for election or their representatives in several
races next month, including state treasurer, U. S. Senate, and House of
Representatives. The audience included several senior citizen, who
wondered about the future of prescription drugs.
Houghton said Congress'
failure to pass a prescription drug plan highlighted the failure of
America's two-party system. The independent blamed Democratic and
Republican egos for the lack of federal progress.
Brady said the state's
multimillion-dollar tobacco settlement included cash to assist low-income
senior citizens with prescription drug needs. The state did not join in
the class-action lawsuit, but worked to boost the settlement payout for
small states and succeeded without paying high-priced outside attorneys to
represent Delaware, she said.
Schnee told the crowd that
Brady once said she decided for personal and political reasons that
Delaware should not join the tobacco lawsuit. If Delaware had, he said,
the state would have reaped greater financial rewards. He charged that her
decision-making my have been clouded by campaign contributions from donors
whose identities are not clear.
Brady countered that all
her contribution information is public.
[webnote: the News Journal
article also included a picture of each candidate.]
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