Commentary: Why I want to be attorney general

BY ROB BELL

 On Tuesday, I announced my candidacy to be Virginia’s next attorney general.

The attorney general is Virginia’s top law enforcement official, and I believe I would bring useful, real world experience to the job.

I began work as a state prosecutor in Orange County in 1996. The work was nothing glamorous. Most days would find me in court, talking with county deputies and crime victims to put together the best possible cases. I worked with women who took steps to break the cycle of violence by prosecuting their abusive boyfriends. I worked with troopers on drunk-driving cases, including those where victims were killed. Our office handled cases of school violence and horrifying cases of sexual abuse. I made house calls to crime victims and gave them my home phone number, so they could reach me, day or night.

I came to respect the hard work the deputies put in while the rest of us were home, fast asleep. I also came to appreciate the courage of crime victims who came to court, confronted the person who hurt them, and gave witness of the crime to the judge or jury. Child victims were especially brave. I was proud to play a small role in bringing the criminals to justice. In all, I prosecuted more than 2,400 cases.

Since my election to the General Assembly in 2001, I have continued to spearhead the fight against crime. Each session, I worked with crime victims and law enforcement to craft laws to hold criminals accountable and keep the public safe. In 2004, a sexual predator visited with students at a Central Virginia elementary school while dressed as Santa Claus. I wrote the law to keep people like him out of our schools. Drawing on my experiences from Orange, I wrote laws to mandate jail for drunk drivers with high blood alcohol or who had kids in the car. Last year, after the tragic death of a student at the University of Virginia, I patroned the bill to make it easier for threatened citizens to get protective orders.

We have had successes, but there is so much more to do. Many Virginians live in safe communities, where crime is not an everyday concern. But every night, too many of our fellow Virginians are forced to bar their windows and lock their doors to keep dangerous criminals at bay. I believe that’s backwards — it should be the criminals who are behind lock and key, not our citizens. Our work will be not done until any Virginian can walk anywhere, anytime, without fear of being assaulted, robbed, or worse. All Virginians —  rich and poor —  deserve safe neighborhoods.

While in the General Assembly, I have considered it an honor to work alongside both law enforcement and the survivors of crime, and they have honored me with their awards. I am especially proud of the legislative recognition I have received from Mothers Against Drunk Driving Virginia (MADD). Similarly, the Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Action Alliance, named me one of their “30 Voices in 30 Years” honoree for my work on protective orders. I also received the Outstanding Legislative Service award from the Virginia Sheriffs’ Association and the Virginia state prosecutors named me their “Champion of Justice.”

Writing tough criminal laws has not been my only priority in the House of Delegates. After the Supreme Court stripped property rights away in the Kelo decision, I worked with then-Senator Ken Cuccinelli to pass a law to protect private property from abusive eminent domain. I am proud that this year we stand on the doorstep of enshrining these rights in the Virginia Constitution, and I plan on carrying the Resolution to do this. In 2008, after the shooting at Virginia Tech, I worked with mental health workers and police, and patroned the bill to overhaul Virginia’s involuntary commitment laws. I have also written laws to require all public schools to have bullying prevention programs and to report crimes that occur against students to parents.

I have been recognized as a conservative leader in the House, fighting against higher taxes and the expansion of government. I am proud that I received a designation from the American Conservative Union as a Defender of Liberty for my 100 percent score on their targeted votes.

I believe my experience as a prosecutor and a conservative lawmaker has given me the background to serve as Virginia’s next attorney general. As attorney general, I would continue to fight crime and to promote safer schools and neighborhoods. Recidivism remains a major problem, and we are looking at new ways to manage probationers to try and keep them away from trouble. I would also carry on Attorney General Cuccinelli’s battle to rein in unconstitutional overreach by the federal government. I would fight to protect property rights and to eliminate unnecessary and burdensome regulations on businesses.

But this is not something I can do alone. To be successful, I will need your prayers and ideas. I ask for you to help me become Virginia’s next attorney general. If you want to contact me, I can be reached at Rob@DelegateRobBell.com.

About the author

Rob Bell represents the 58^th District in the Virginia House of Delegates. A resident of Albemarle County, he holds undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Virginia.

Editor’s note: Mr. Bell is seeking the Republican nomination to run for attorney general in 2013. He faces likely opposition for the GOP nomination from Harrisonburg state Sen. Mark Obenshain.