Bucher, Van Hollen meet at MBA forum

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Paul Bucher Discussing the problem of violence in Milwaukee: “This year there were 26 shootings after Memorial Day; that’s unacceptable. It’s not just a Milwaukee problem, it’s a statewide problem.”

Moments prior to taking their seats at an open forum at the Milwaukee Bar Association on Aug. 29, J.B. Van Hollen casually asked Paul Bucher if he were “ready for this,” to which Bucher responded, “I’m always ready.”

The private exchange between the two Republican candidates for Wisconsin Attorney General could have established an overly combative atmosphere, but the structured hour-long debate was ultimately free of overt verbal assaults.

Less than a week after hosting Democratic candidates Kathleen Falk and incumbent Peg Lautenschlager, the MBA held a forum for Waukesha County District Attorney Paul Bucher and J.B. Van Hollen, former U.S. attorney for the Western District.

While both Bucher and Van Hollen extensively explained their differences in opinion with their Democratic counterparts, the two were often closer to each other when describing how they would approach the role of attorney general; however, there were some variations.

Both men highlighted the crime lab backlog as one of the most prominent issues facing the Department of Justice and chided the current attorney general’s lack of success in alleviating the problem.

“It’s not that difficult to solve,” said Van Hollen. “I would make it my number one priority and make sure it’s properly funded even before other programs and certainly before throwing money away on frivolous lawsuits like our current attorney general has done.”

J.B. Van Hollen discussing the state crime lab backlog: “I would make it my number one priority and make sure it’s properly funded even before other programs and certainly before throwing money away on frivolous lawsuits like our current attorney general has done.”

Bucher furthered the sentiment by noting that Lautenshlager failed to plan for the future in requesting only four new lab analysts and that was “unacceptable.”

The candidates differed on how they would obtain dollars for the initiative. Van Hollen suggested zero-based budgeting, outsourcing and privatization, while Bucher proposed a surcharge increase for analysis which would “put the cost on the offender, not on the law abiding citizens.”

Van Hollen and Bucher also stressed the importance of attacking illegal immigration in the state, again with varying approaches, although each claimed to be the only candidate with a defined plan.

Unlike the Democratic candidates, Bucher believed it was the state’s responsibility to take an “active role,” in immigration law. He supported post-sentence deportation of immigrants who committed crimes, but also noted that deportation prior to serving jail time “could be a possibility, depending on the severity of the crime.”

Van Hollen was not in favor of deportation prior to a conviction and pledged to work with other government agencies on the issue.

A peripheral question concerned voter fraud which both candidates viewed as a rising problem not only in the nation, but in Wisconsin.

Van Hollen suggested photo identification upon registering to vote and other provisions. Bucher conceded that it would be impossible to completely eliminate voter fraud, but that it is ultimately up to the individual to take responsibility, especially in the case of felons.

“I’m talking about criminals who are out there voting without having their civil rights restored,” said Bucher. “Right now, we have no way to track this, no database and we have to rely solely on the individual.”

Violent crime was another hot topic as both planned crackdowns in both urban and rural areas.

While Waukesha County has significantly fewer murders than Milwaukee, Bucher insisted that a person d
oesn’t have to grow up in a high crime area to be affected by it.

“I grew up in Milwaukee and this year there were 26 shootings after Memorial Day; that’s unacceptable,” said Bucher. “It’s not just a Milwaukee problem, it’s a statewide problem.”

Van Hollen proposed a closer relationship with law enforcement agencies and planned to avoid “Band-aid,” approaches of the past which provided “quick, short-term and expensive solutions.”

“Look at a place like New York where their violent crime situation was considered out of control,” said Van Hollen. “City officials worked in conjunction with the law enforcement community to put effective plans in place much like the Safe Neighborhood program I helped establish in Janesville and Beloit.”

Both candidates also supported the Nov. 7 advisory referendum on the death penalty, though they were skeptical the legislation would pass.

Neither anticipated an increased burden on the appellate division, but both pointed out other areas which the implementation of the death penalty would impact. Bucher noted long-term costs of capital punishment, while Van Hollen emphasized an increased need for specialized personnel.

On the subject of administrative ability, Bucher touted his managerial skills as the district attorney in Waukesha, while Van Hollen emphasized “discretion,” and planning the best courses of action for civil involvement.

The Milwaukee Bar Association is hoping to host another forum after the Sept. 12 primary elections for the Democratic and Republican candidates.

Jack Zemlicka can be reached by email.