The Leader

As the Sept. 12 state primary elections near, Waukesha County District Attorney Paul Bucher, a state attorney general candidate and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee alum, said he has the necessary qualities to be the state’s next attorney general.

“You need to be a visionary, you need leadership qualities,” Bucher said. “To win an election, you need name recognition and a strong base.”

While this election may not particularly interest UWM students, Bucher feels he still can relate to the community as his own daughter attends Arizona State University and his son attends Marquette University.

“If it doesn’t affect you directly, it will happen soon,” Bucher said. “Because you’re in college today, means you’ll be out of college tomorrow.”

Bucher attended UWM from 1974 to1977, graduating in three years, and then Marquette University Law School, graduating in 1981. Bucher said he spent most of his time on campus in the library and classroom.

“I wish I would have stayed on campus longer and enjoyed it more,” Bucher said. “UW-Milwaukee was a great school, it fit my needs.”

Bucher worked several jobs at once, such as pumping gas and working at a factory to support himself from high school through law school. He still has unpleasant memories of the street parking regulations and the “fair share” of parking tickets he received while on campus.

Bucher first began to align himself with Republican Party while working under ex-U.S. Sen. candidate Susan Engeleiter in the early 1980s. A wide variety of issues coincided with his own philosophy, including small government, pro-life and focusing the “accountability of the individual.”

Bucher worked as an assistant district attorney from 1981 to 1983 in Waukesha County and in 1988 he was appointed district attorney by ex-Governor Tommy Thompson.

Bucher has laid out his agenda on his web site http://www.bucherforag.org, which includes a “Ten Point Plan.” This first point focuses on fixing the backlog in state crime labs.

“There is no one easy solution,” Bucher said. “There’s a multifaceted response.”

Bucher’s response includes taking advantage of the private sector and adding more analysts.

Bucher has also recently increased his support of deporting illegal immigrants upon conviction of violent or drug-related crimes.

“I’m the only candidate who will take an active role,” Bucher said.

However, Bucher says illegal immigrants who work and earn a legimate living are “another concern all together.”

Bucher has also been the driving force behind many volunteer and crime prevention organizations. One of the most effective organizations has been Preventing Alcohol Related Crashes which focuses on reducing drunk driving and underage drinking.

While public confidence in the Republican Party has decreased, Bucher doesn’t feel this will affect this election.

“Scandals have shaken cores of people about the government structure,” Bucher said. “I don’t see any affect [on this race].”

Bucher is running against J.B. Van Hollen, former United States attorney for the Western District in Wisconsin. The democratic candidates for attorney general are incumbent Peg Lautenschlager and Kathleen Falk, county executive for Dane County. More information can be found on the Wisconsin State Election web site at http://elections.state.wi.us/index.asp.

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