David and I will meet with candidate for Attorney General Warren Tolman Friday afternoon to discuss his candidacy and the issues of the day. Do you have any questions you would like us to ask him?
Democratic incumbent Martha Coakley is running for Governor, former State Senator Warren Tolman and former Bureau Chief in the Attorney General’s Office, Maura Healey, have all announced their candidacy for the Democratic nomination. Attorney John Miller is running as a Republican.
Other possible Democratic candidates include: State Senator Eileen Donoghue, Middlesex County Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, State Senator Will Brownsberger, State Representative David Linsky, and State Representative John D. Keenan.
State Representative Harold Naughton, Jr. was a Democratic candidate, but dropped out of the race. He will run for reelection to the House instead.
Poll source: Suffolk Date(s) administered: Jan. 29–Feb. 3, 2014. Sample size 309 Margin of error ± ? Maura Healey 16.5% Harold Naughton 1.94% Warren Tolman 24.6% Undecided 56.96%
Possible Republicans include: Former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan and former prosecutor Peter Flaherty.
Mr. Tolman,
As the next AG would you briefly describe:
1.Your understanding of the core/statutory roles and responsibilities of the office?
2. Your vision for using the powers and resources of the office to advance social and economic justice in the courts, legislature, “corrections,” and communities of the Commonwealth?
3. Attention has been brought to the past decade’s death by cop and the rulings by DAs in each case that the officer was justified (73 killings in 12 years.) Commonwealth MAG ran this article in the most recent article, “Clearing the cops.” Do you have a position on the system in place to “police” the police? Please explain.
4. Surveillance – As AG where will you draw the limits of government and private surveillance including new technologies with micro-recorders and drones?
5. Four years after your election what will be your top 3 accomplishments?
Thank you and best wishes.
I would just add some polite version of “Why him? Why now?” If the answer is that the seat is open, he could have run in 2006.
I’d be interested if there are any particular things he’d do differently in the office than Martha Coakley, or new initiatives. The Coakley AG’s office has added divisions (for example, a healthcare division). Does he think there’s anything still missing?
Thanks for the opportunity.
• How does he view Martha’ Coakley’s ruling that the casino ballot measure is unconstitutional?
• What are the roles he, as AG, could play in issues of racial and economic equity before the law? (so similar to HeartlandDem’s Q.)
• Would he be willing to expend political capital as AG towards influencing the legislature to rewrite CORI laws? If so, what specific changes would he propose?
• What is his record on racial and economic justice? And on women’s issues.
• Does he believe that prosecutors are more motivated to win cases than they are in ensuring that appropriate justice is done? If so, what role could he play in changing that culture?
our meeting with Tolman ended an hour before this comment went up. But we did get through a number of the other questions, and we’ll write up the conversation in due course.