Lynch new president of National<br> Association of Attorneys General

The National Association of Attorneys General named Rhode Island’s chief law enforcement official, Patrick C. Lynch, its new president at its annual summer meeting, held at the Westin Providence hotel last week.
The meeting had a decidedly Rhode Island flavor, from a dinner at the Rosecliff mansion in Newport to Mr. Potato Head toys (made by Hasbro Inc.) dressed in Spiderman costumes that were part of gift bags given to the 300 people registered to attend the four-day meeting.
At the welcome session on June 17, Lynch explained that the Spiderman-themed outfits donned by the Mr. Potato Heads were an homage to the quote, “With great power comes great responsibility,” extracted from the first Spiderman movie, which has become the attorney general’s credo ever since his son reminded him of the superhero’s words before his inauguration in 2003.
Soon after Lynch addressed the crowd – which included attorneys general from the 50 states, Puerto Rico, Canada, and Mexico, in addition to a delegation of prosecutors from Taiwan – Idaho Attorney General Lawrence Wasden, the former president of NAAG, joked that “in Idaho, the ears and nose don’t fall off our potatoes.”
Wasden symbolically passed the gavel to Lynch at the dinner at the Rosecliff mansion, marking the end of his term as president and the beginning of Lynch’s, who is the first Rhode Islander to be elected to the position.
Officers of NAAG are elected yearly, through geographical rotation by region. As president, Lynch will have the power to appoint all standing and special committee chairs. The committees are charged with studying all substantive matters within their jurisdiction and recommending policy positions and other matters to the attorneys general for action by the full association.
“If you look at the list of people that are assembled in that room or you look at the attorneys general that have served, it is utterly humbling,” Lynch said, speaking about the honor of being elected president of NAAG. “To be from such a small state and to be selected unanimously in a bipartisan way by the leaders of this tremendously powerful organization, and to have that faith put in me by these distinguished people is truly humbling,” he repeated, standing near his family.
The goal of the association is to foster interstate communication on legal and law enforcement issues, as well as to conduct policy research and analysis of issues.
As president, Lynch also has the opportunity to select a presidential initiative to bring forth to the members of the NAAG throughout the year by way of forums and committees.
Wasden’s initiative was energy. He held several summits over the year, and concluded his initiative with a panel of energy experts last week at the summer meeting.
“My issue is going to be children and technology,” said Lynch. “How do we protect them? What are we doing as attorneys general to make the world safer for children and what is the industry doing?”
“My initiative will evolve from that kind of dialogue, but be a bit broader,” he said. “We will have forums so that attorneys general can make each other aware of what’s going on.”
Lynch will bring the social networking Web sites Myspace and Facebook to the discussion, as well as issues presented by the recording, video game, and motion picture industries.
Wasden, who was also the first from his state to serve as NAAG president, said of Lynch: “Serving as the president of a national association is a real honor for him individually, but also for the state of Rhode Island.
“It’s an opportunity to make an impact on a national stage. He’s got a lot of experience in terms of his years and service,” Wasden said. “You bring those experiences and help the organization in a direction that goes forward.”
On the agenda of the four-day meeting were panels and forums that covered a wide range of topics.
Topics on June 17 included: current high tech issues, which covered how technology has pervaded our lives, how electronic discovery has changed litigation, and how organized crime is using cyberspace to increase their reach; energy, continuing Wasden’s presidential initiative and included discussion on oil and gas issues; an update and discussion of the Adam Walsh Act passed in 2006; a presentation about NAAG partner and non-profit, Fight Crime: Invest in Kids.
Highlights from June 18 include a discussion about abuse in nursing homes, and an appearance by baseball icon Cal Ripken Jr. on behalf of the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation, and a viewing of Providence’s WaterFire.
On June 19, topics included emerging issues in government law, youth access to alcohol, the digital television transition, and interpreting the Constitution.
Lynch assured that his new position as president will ensure that “Rhode Island’s voice on issues that are important in the nation will be heard and they will be prominent. Having our voice heard on executive committees, and also the impact of hundreds of people coming here to visit Rhode Island.”
Having the NAAG’s summer meeting in Rhode Island allowed the state to showcase what it has to offer to the nation’s most prestigious legal authorities. The 300 guests, many of whom also brought their families, were estimated to spend $515,000 in the four days they were here, according to Destination Marketing Association International, a group consistently used by the Providence Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau to estimate economic impact.
This issue was best addressed by Lynch’s son, Graham, at the welcome meeting, who leaned into the microphone and said, “Welcome to Rhode Island. Spend your money.” •