Tom McCabe My Turn A Guest Editorial

Attorney General Christine Gregoire has led a charmed life for 12 years.

In four years (1988- 1992) as Director of the Department of Ecology (DOE), she doubled the size of the agency, hiring 500 more bureaucrats to impose regulations on businesses. She won fame for delaying water rights permits for five years; denying exempt wells; creating statewide wetlands regulations, which usurped local control; and developing shoreline and stormwater rules that resulted in the largest land grab ever.

At DOE, Gregoire elevated arrogance to an art form. What did she earn for it? Kudos from the state’s media, adoration from enviro groups, and admiration from big corporations—the state’s big business association featured Gregoire in its publications and during its conventions.

After leaving DOE, Gregoire ran for Attorney General in 1992. Facing token opposition, she won easily and was re-elected in 1996. During her eight years (1992-2000) as Attorney General, she has compiled a hopeless tangle of payoffs, illegalities, and incompetence:
• In the Linda David case, the Attorney General did not prosecute until the media discovered that Ms. David was imprisoned and beaten by the man paid by the state to care for her.
• In the Public Disclosure Commission’s politically-motivated vendetta against BIAW, Gregoire pursued the case despite a sworn statement from her deputy indicating the PDC was no’ trustworthy—the agency had blatantly lied to the deputy about the existence of documents related to their case against BIAW. Gregoire lost the BIAW case, and two subsequent PDC cases. (Perhaps Gregoire owed the PDC, which had merely slapped her wrist when she was caught using state-paid drivers to transport her to and from campaign events).
• Gregoire garnered national fame last year by beating big tobacco companies and winning a massive settlement for the state. But she allowed a South Carolina law firm to finance the case, violating legal ethical standards. The South Carolina lawyers funded the litigation at a rate of $150,000 per month. In return, the firm received an undisclosed payoff, while Gregoire spent the last few months shaking down attorneys in the law firm for contributions to her campaign.
What did Gregoire receive for her ethical lapses? Approbation from the media (only the Tacoma News Tribune wondered why nearly 50 percent of Gregoire’s campaign contributions came from lawyers in a South Carolina law firm), and a 33 percent pay raise — Supreme Court Chief Justice Richard Guy said: “I’d have given her more” for the tobacco deal.
• On the retro cap rule, which is a transparent (and illegal) attempt by Governor Locke to cut off funds to BIAW, Gregoire has looked the other way. Like U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, she has ignored the law and defended politicians who unlawfully use government power to retaliate against their adversaries.
• Recently, in the largest judgment ever against the state—$17.8 million for three handicapped men who alleged abuse by a state-licensed group home — Gregoire missed the deadline for appealing the verdict. Gregoire blamed everyone but herself, including:
(1) The plaintiff’s attorney — he filed the appropriate paperwork and notified the Attorney General’s office, yet Gregoire says he should have called her. Interesting excuse from someone who for eight years has exploited every technicality and procedural loophole to have cases against the government thrown out.
(2) The lack of good attorneys in her office — she “can’t compete salary wise with the private sector.”
(3) The Legislature — she asked legislators for salary increases for her staff, but was denied.
Gregroire claimed this was her first and only mistake—she had never missed a deadline. She was wrong. Just 20 months earlier, Gregoire delayed filing an appeal in a case that cost the state a half million dollars.
Gregoire is running for re-election in 2000 without opposition. She is often mentioned as Washington State’s next Governor. She is president of the National Association of Attorney Generals. Business groups still fawn over her. The media loves her.
Get real.

(Editor’s Note: Tom McCabe is the Executive Vice President of the Building Industry Association of Washington.)

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