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Tuesday, October 12, 1982
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Vol. 82 No. 38
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Candidates disagree on attorney general's role
Chambers: Office favors powerful Douglas: Office favors the people
By Pat Higgins
State Sen. Ernie Chambers of Omaha
said that if elected, he would change the
direction of the attorney general's office.
Chambers said there is now a double
standard in the office favoring the
powerful. Attorney General Paul Douglas
is not personally corrupt, Chambers said,
but "he runs a sloppy ship."
"When the fountainhead of justice is
tainted, everything that flows from it
shares in the taint," Chambers said.
He cited lenient sentences in the bid-
rigging scandal as an example of a double
standard of justice.
First elected to the Nebraska Legislature
in 1970, Chambers has a reputation for his
eloquence and defense of those without
power. He is running against Douglas as
an independent candidate.
A graduate of Creighton University Law
School, Chambers has refused to take the
bar exam, which has led some to comment
that he would be unqualified for the
attorney general position.
"The very fact that I'm on the ballot
demonstrates that I am not disqualified,"
Chambers said. "For instance, if the
(state) treasurer was not bondable, his or
her name would not be allowed on the
ballot. There is no constitutional
requirement that the attorney general has
to take the bar exam and join their secret
club. Whatever the duties of the office
would require, I would be able to do."
Consumer protection
Chambers said the attorney general's
office should emphasize consumer pro
tection more. He cited the office's inability
to deal with scandal in the Omaha housing
rehabilitation program, in which there had
been a series of phony billings and shoddy
work by contractors.
4i contacted Paul Douglas when I
became aware of this housing scandal. He
said there were similar problems in Lin
coln, but that he was stymied to do any
thing about them. I then contacted the FBI
and the Department of Housing and Urban
Development, which initiated investiga
tions that led to corrections in the housing
policy," he said.
People do not look to the attorney
general's office for consumer assistance, he
said. Citizens with nowhere to turn come
to him.
"Instead of stating intentions, a public
person should point to a record of achieve
ment. The attorney general's office has two
dozen lawyers, yet people still seem to
have more confidence in my responding to
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Staff Photo by Dave Bentz
Sen. Ernie Chambers
their problems. People should give me the
tools to solve their problem - the job of
attorney general," Chambers said.
Closed shop
The legal profession is a closed shop
that needs to be reformed, he said,adding
that special interest groups wield too much
power.
"If I was elected, I would symbolize
what a person trained in law should be like
My example would put pressure on the
entire legal community to improve their
performance," Chambers said. "Contrary
to what the incumbent says, being a
member of the bar association may be a
disqualifying factor because of all the
special interest freight that entails.
Chambers continued to press for a
debate with Douglas, who he character
ized as personable and congenial.
"My intent in a debate is not to have a
knock-down, drag-out affair whose purpose
would be to embarass the incumbent,"
Chambers said. "Rather, I wanted the two
of us to present our views and
philosophy."
A debate would allow the public to
make an informed judgment about which
person is more suited to be attorney
general, Chambers said.
"Keep in mind that I am a lone,
overworked, underpaid state senator,"
Chambers said. "If I was elected, with
two dozen bright assistants and my vision,
Nebraska would be the showcase for the
universe."
Staff Photo by Dave Bentz
Attorney General Paul Douglas
By Pat Higgins
As state attorney general, Paul Douglas
runs an office that is staffed by 32 other
lawyers. His salary is $39,500, which is
far below what he could make in private
practice with a staff that large.
"To say that it's rewarding is some
thing that everyone giggles at, but this
is the work that I enjoy. Money is not
a primary goal," Douglas said.
First elected in 1974 in a tough race
against former Gov. Frank Morrison,
Douglas has changed the approach of
the attorney general's office during the
last eight years.
The number of advocacy offices have
increased dramatically during that span,
Douglas said. A consumer protection
division, an equal opportunity section
and anti-trust and water law division
also have been added.
"When I took office, it was prima
rily a corporate office for the state. I
know this is a horrible analogy, but we're
really more people-oriented now," he
said.
Because of the increased scope of his
office, Douglas said that more staff would
be helpful, but it's doubtful that the
Legislature would appropriate more money
because of the trying economic times. Af
ter the federal budget cuts of 1981, grants
and revenue sharing have been decreased.
"Well, we finally got the federal govern
ment off of our backs, but now we need
the people and legislature of the state
of Nebraska to make up the difference,"
he said. "The problem is none of the legis
lators want to go home and be labeled
a big spender.
"Don't get me wrong though, I am
a big states-rights man, and I wouldn't
want to go back to the way it was a cou
ple years ago."
A native of Sioux Falls, S.D., Doug
las received his law degree from UNL in
1953, and he was elected Lancaster County
attorney in 1960. He remained at that
post until he became attorney general
in 1974.
"1 come out of a prosecutor's back
ground. I enjoy going into court with the
adversary system - it's still fun," he
said.
The attorney general's office is des
cribed by Douglas as "the lawyer for
Nebraska."
His opponent for the attorney gene
ral's position is Sen. Ernie Chambers.
Chambers, a graduate of Creighton
University Law School, has not taken the
bar exam and Douglas said that he is con
fident about his own re-election chances.
"Sen. Chambers is well known to
many voters. I'm standing on my record,
and I hope that the people of the, state
know what 1 have done," he said. "Con
trary to what Sen. Chambers has said,
it takes a lawyer to be attorney general.
Who would you hire for the lawyer for
the state of Nebraska, someone who is
neither qualified or eligible?"
Chambers has made several comments
about Douglas's refusal to debate him.
"I don't see any reason to debate.
Sen. Chambers would not be interested
in talking about negotiating settlements.
He'd be talking about philosophy, which is
in the scope of the Legislature," he said.
"Some people would probably enjoy
watching Sen. Chambers tell you how
great he is."
Chambers maintains that he has beaten
Douglas on several issues.
"That's poppycock. Sen. Chambers
said that he beat me on the legislative
chaplain issue. Actually, the 8th U.S.
Circuit of Appeals agreed with me. On
the banking bill issue, Sen. Chambers,
who had been a banking supporter, sat
on his hands and let the vote in the Legis
lature tie, 24-24. That night my office
worked until 2 a.m. to get the proper
legal decision," he said.
Douglas said it is important that the
attorney general's office remain autono
mous, lie said he enjoyed a good working
relationship with Sen. James Exon when
Exon was governor.
"Even though we were of different
political faiths, I think that any member
of Exon's staff would agree that we
worked together smoothly," he said.
When Gov. Charles Thone took office,
Douglas said that his role was to help
explain the inner working of the state
government to Thone.
Family Shelter gives emergency aid to destitutes
By Vicki Ruhga
Henry and Elizabeth Davis and their three children
left New York because Henry had a job offer in Wyoming.
However, when they arrived in Wyoming, the job did
not materialize. The family headed back to Troy, N.Y.,
where they had relatives, but they ran out of gas, food
and money in Lincoln.
Family Shelter, a program sponsored by the People's
City Mission, 124 S. 9th St., helped the Davis family.
Gerry Ann Ortega, public relations director of the Mis
sion, said the Davis family was given a gas voucher for
their car, lodging, meals and information about where
to find help on the way to New York.
"The shelter is used as a last resort for people who
have no place else to go," Ortega said. "They are usually
transients or someone who has been evicted because of
a personal crisis."
Families who have been evicted because they couldn't
pay the rent often stay at the shelter until they can get
welfare aid, she said. Victims of abuse are also given
lodging there.
Ortega said the need for family shelters has increased
because of the country's economic condition.
"A lot of people are traveling across the country
looking for work, which often doesn' t materialize," she
said. "We also get people from Lincoln who walk in and
need food, clothing or help to pay utility bills."
Additional family shelter services include a clothing
service and food bank. The shelter also acts as a referral
agency, setting up contacts and pointing to other agen
cies when they can't solve a problem.
Ortega said a job service is used to get men staying
in the shelter back to work. However, she said, there
are not many jobs in these hard economic times.
Funding for the Family Shelter comes from United
Way, which provides 30 to 35 percent of the budget.
Churches and individual contributions also help. They
also receive some revenue funds, Ortega said.
The average family usually stays for three to five
days in the shelter, Ortega said. The cost to keep a family
at the shelter is $30 per night, and SI per meal, she said.
The shelter is sometimes reimbursed by the welfare
department, she added.
Of the 432 people visiting the shelter through Au
gust 1982, 199 have been children. This compares with
1,160 people served during the entire year of 1 98 1.
The shelter has served 1,146 meals through August
of this year. In addition, they have also given out house
hold items, clothing and furniture to needy families,
she said.