Voters can’t make a bad choice for Colorado Attorney General this year. Both Republican Cynthia Coffman and Democrat Don Quick are convincing that they would keep the office above the political fray.
Both candidates have the experience and the commitment to public safety and consumer protection, something current Attorney General John Suthers has lagged on.
But of the two candidates, Don Quick brings a vast experience in the state’s district courts as one of the state’s top prosecutors. That, and his passion for innovation in finding ways to protect children, make him the best choice for Colorado Attorney General.
Coffman has an impressive record from the legislative and administrative side of state government. She served as a legal analyst and advisor to the Colorado legislature, and was chief counsel for former Gov. Bill Owens. For more than eight years, she’s been chief deputy to Suthers. Her commitment to protecting the public by ensuring fraud victims have a place to turn to is compelling, whether fraud occurs at home or inside a Colorado business.
But Quick has proven himself a dynamic force when it comes to protecting the interests of all kinds of victims, and especially successful at understanding what has brought so many teenagers to his courtrooms in the past. Rather than seeing incarceration as solution to crime, Quick has been on the forefront of developing alternatives that save taxpayer money and actually put budding criminals on a new path. Even more, Quick has used his skills to reach into the community to identify kids at risk of turning to drugs and crime, and he’s helped lead the community to work toward prevention. His enthusiasm and ingenuity in preventing kids from falling into crime and drugs are widely admired and respected, and we’re anxious to see how the state’s AG office might implement similar efforts.
Quick has also shown he wants to take a hard-line approach to protecting the state’s most vulnerable victims, the elderly, the poor and members of the military. This is where Colorado needs to focus efforts. While the state has been successful at identifying and stopping large-scale scams, the plethora of “magazine” scams,local email rip-offs and other swindles can be nearly catastrophic to those who have very little to lose. Both Adams and Arapahoe counties have been proactive in identifying and going after these frauds, and it’s important that the AG’s office lead the effort.
Both candidates are sincere about setting aside party alliances when it comes to the sometimes politically contentious job of being attorney general. Quick has already proved himself there. A Democrat, he unflinchingly prosecuted fellow Adams County Democrats during paving company and corruption scandals. We look forward to a new era of transparency and action coming from his office.