EDITORIAL: Attorney general race

One race for statewide office doesn’t have to go the distance. Oregon’s next attorney general will be selected by Democratic voters who mark their ballots for the May 20 primary. No Republican candidate filed for office, so either Greg Macpherson or John Kroger will become the new attorney general.

Both candidates stopped by The News-Review office to meet with the editorial board and seek our endorsement. Both are strong candidates who can point to past successes that qualify them for the office. Each one’s work experience definitely seems to influence how he would approach the attorney general’s job.

Macpherson, 57, of Lake Oswego is a private practice attorney with the state’s largest law firm, Stole Rives, and a three-term member of the Oregon House of Representatives. The native Oregonian says he can be an advocate for Oregonians and draw on his familiarity with how state government operates to effectively run the Department of Justice.

Kroger, 41, lives within walking distance of Lewis & Clark Law School in Portland, where he teaches. He moved to Oregon a little more than five years ago and is a former federal prosecutor. He’s represented the United States in court more than 1,000 times and also worked for both Bill Clinton and Al Gore. He says his courtroom experience and strong background in public safety distinguish him for the job.

Macpherson has already had some success with Oregon’s methamphetamine problem. He was part of the work group that banned over-the-counter sales of the active ingredient pseudoephedrine, dramatically decreasing the number of meth labs found in the state.

One of Kroger’s main goals is to push that further by disarming the Mexican drug cartels that now bring meth into the state while finding more money for treatment programs. Pointing to meth as the biggest contributor to property crimes and child abuse, Kroger says the state has to provide treatment for young people who ask for it before they turn to crime to pay for their habits.

In campaigning for the job, Macpherson touts his role in reforming the Public Employees Retirement System, which he says is now one of the best-funded public employee retirement systems in the nation because of the Legislature’s hard work.

Kroger looks ahead and says he would work to get more child support payments headed to the 100,000 single parents, primarily working women, who aren’t receiving them regularly. He said every $1 spent by the state in enforcing child support orders puts $5.80 into the hands of families who need it.

The opponents sound as if they would take a different approach in dealing with environmental concerns. Macpherson wants to work with corporations to bring them into compliance with air and water quality standards. Kroger wants to make sure polluters face stiff enough fines and prosecution to ensure they will pay for any damage to the environment.

Both candidates appear to be looking out for Oregon’s future, but Kroger gets a slight edge in setting priorities that should make a difference in the everyday lives of Douglas County families.