Patrick C. Lynch
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Patrick C. Lynch (born February 4, 1965 in Providence, Rhode Island) is Rhode Island's Attorney General. He has overseen the investigation and prosecution of the deadliest fire in Rhode Island history and also successfully sued former lead paint manufacturers for cleanup costs associated with their old products. He is running for re-election in 2006.
He and his wife, Christine have two children, Kelsey and Graham.[1]
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[edit] Early career
Lynch's early life revolved around sports. While attending St. Raphael's Academy in Pawtucket, RI, Lynch excelled at both basketball and baseball. Lynch went on to attend Brown University, where he led the basketball team to its first Ivy League Championship and its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. He graduated from Brown with a B.S. in Economics and Political Science in 1987 and took graduate courses at Queen's University of Belfast while playing professional basketball in Ireland and taking part in a program called Sports Corps, modeled after the Peace Corps.
After returning to the United States, Lynch earned a J.D. from Suffolk University Law School in 1992. He then worked for two years as a clerk for Presiding Superior Court Joseph Rodgers, Jr., and then joined the R.I. attorney general's office in 1994. Lynch was eventually named lead prosecutor of the state's Organized Crime Unit. In 1999, Lynch joined Rhode Island law firm Tillinghast Licht Perkins Smith and Cohen, LLP, where he worked until being elected attorney general.[2]
[edit] Political career
Lynch formally announced his candidacy in March 2002 after incumbent Sheldon Whitehouse announced he would run for governor. Lynch was a well connected member of the Democratic Party - his father was a former Mayor of Pawtucket, Rhode Island and his brother was serving as Chairman of the R.I. Democratic Party. Lynch faced J. William Harsch, a former director of the R.I. Department of Environmental Management, who ran as an independent but had the endorsement of the state Republican Party.[3] Lynch won the election with 62 percent of the vote.[4]
While in office, Lynch has advocated for stricter laws regarding drunken-driving and the use of handguns. He has also proposed measures that would link school attendance rates and teenagers' driving privileges, increase penalties against people who provide alcohol to minors, and require school districts to put in place anti-bullying and school-safety plans. He has also called for community prosecution, and has paired state prosecutors with police personnel in Providence Police Department's neighborhood precincts with the goal of timely prosecution of drug crimes, robbery, and assault.[5]
Lynch has hung a plaque in his office with a quote from Spider-Man, "With great power comes great responsibility." Lynch said he got the inspiration for the plaque from his son, who said it before his inauguration in 2003.[6]
[edit] The Station nightclub fire
One of Lynch's first responsibilities as attorney general was to oversee the criminal investigation of the February 20, 2003 Station nightclub fire in West Warwick. With 100 deaths and many more injuries, the fire was the fourth deadliest nightclub fire in U.S. history and the deadliest fire ever in Rhode Island. The criminal investigation has led to the sentencing of Daniel Biechele, the tour manager of the band whose pyrotechnics started the fire, and has also resulted in indictments for to co-owners of the nightclub.[7]
[edit] Lead paint lawsuit
Lynch has also continued to pursue a lawsuit against lead paint manufactures that was initiated by Whitehouse, his predecessor. The initial lawsuit ended in a mistrial while Whitehouse was in office. Lynch won a second lawsuit against Sherwin Williams Co., NL Industries, and Millennium Holdings, LLC., all former lead paint manufacturers. Another company, Atlantic Richfield Co., was acquitted by the jury. The case was closely monitored by other states and municipalities interested in whether former lead paint manufacturers are liable for problems their products caused after they stopped manufacturing it.[8]
DuPont Co. settled out of court in June 2005, agreeing to pay $12 million to the Children's Health Forum. The agency agreed to use the money for lead paint abatement efforts and education campaigns. Lynch has since been criticized for accepting $4,250 in contributions from DuPont lawyers and lobbyists, and his opponent in the 2006 elections filed a complaint with the Rhode Island Ethics Commission. Lynch has denied that the donations were related to the lawsuit, and a lawyer for DuPont who accounted (wiyh his wife) for $2,500 of the donations called the complaint "rubbish."[9]
Lynch has also been criticized for the arrangement his office made with the law firm Motley Rice, which prosecuted the case. The firm agreed to cover the costs of the case in return for 16 2/3 percent of whatever damages the company won. Critics have charged that this kind of relationship between law firm and government is improper because the law firms stand to benefit from a guilty verdict.[10]
[edit] 2006 election
J. William Harsch will again challenge Lynch in 2006, this time as a Republican. In the most recent poll conducted by Brown University, 55 percent said they would support Lynch, as opposed to 23 percent for Harsch, with the balance undecided.[11]
[edit] Notes and References
- ^ Project Vote Smart, "Patrick C. Lynch (RI)" (accessed 7/19/2006).[1]
- ^ National District Attorneys Association, "In Profile: Patrick C. Lynch", May/June 2005 (accessed 7/20/2006).[2]
- ^ Liz Anderson, "Lawyer to announce he's GOP candidate for attorney general", The Providence Journal, June 11, 2002.[3]
- ^ Rhode Island Board of Elections, “Results for Attorney General by Community,” November 5, 2002 (accessed July 21, 2006).[4]
- ^ State of Rhode Island Department of the Attorney General, "Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick C. Lynch" (accessed 7/29/2006).[5]
- ^ Edward Fitzpatrick, " Wisdom of Spider-Man to cling outside AG office", The Providence Journal, March 31, 2004.[6]
- ^ Paul Edward Parker, "State issues 257 subpoenas for trial of Michael Derderian", The Providence Journal, July 18, 2006.[7]
- ^ Raja Mishra, "Rhode Island wins lead paint suit", The Boston Globe, February 23, 2006.[8]
- ^ Scott Mayerowitz, "Lynch accepted campaign donations from lead defendant", The Providence Journal, June 30, 2006.[9]
- ^ Peter B. Lord, "State's deal with law firm in paint case challenged", The Providence Journal, April 4, 2006.[10]
- ^ Brown University, Brown University State Survey", June 2006.[11]
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Sheldon Whitehouse |
Attorney General of Rhode Island 2003– |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
