If elected, what are your top priorities in terms of what you will try to accomplish in your first term as Attorney General?

My top priority as Attorney General is to shine a light on the problem of racial profiling and police misconduct by local police departments. Just as the federal government did with East Haven several years ago, I would use the power of the AG's office to investigate and bring civil actions against police officers and police departments that participate in a culture of disregard for the civil rights of people of color. Whether it's the determination that a person is "suspicious" because of their race, a traffic stop for a minor violation due to the person's apparent ethnicity, the use of excessive force or mis-use of weapons, conducting high speed chases through residential communities, or a culture of tolerating or fostering racial and ethnic slurs, the state has to hold these officers and local departments accountable for their disregard of the rights of the Connecticut residents that they are sworn to protect and serve.

The state has recently engaged with some other Attorneys General in litigation against the federal government. Are there any legal battles underway that you plan to drop? Is there any new litigation you are considering based on federal mandates?

As Attorney General I would initiate legal action against the federal government to require it to withdraw ICE (Immigration Control and Enforcement) agents from Connecticut's courthouses. Attorneys and advocates have repeatedly complained of Immigration agents patrolling the halls of our courthouses seeking "low hanging fruit" in the form of residents who are present either seeking redress or because they are compelled by Connecticut law. The presence of ICE agents is an interference with the right of Connecticut residents to access our courts, in violation of the Connecticut Constitution.

Thousands of homeowners in the north-central region of Connecticut are facing the loss of their homes to the crumbling foundation phenomenon. Do you have any new ideas on how to hold parties responsible for this or to ensure that an equitable share of the costs of replacing foundations is covered by insurers?

The Connecticut AG's office should initiate its own civil claims against insurance companies for the uncompensated damage being done to Connecticut communities, consider whether there are instances of insurance companies misrepresenting the scope of coverage or otherwise misleading consumers, and establish a fund from the proceeds of any such civil litigation to compensate homeowners most affected by the problem, with a focus on lower-income and fixed-income homeowners.

Eversource has been the focus of a lot of consumer outrage following storm events and other outages. What can be done to hold this utility more accountable for its performance?

The Attorney General's office should assist utility customers in the state to obtain information and present claims against Eversource for any damage, tangible or intangible, caused by power outages, whenever it can be shown that Eversource has failed to adequately maintain its electrical lines.

Eversource and some out-of-state entities appear to be attempting to buy control of Connecticut's water resources, and some of our quasi-public water agencies have signed away large amounts of water to commercial interests with little regard to future water shortages. What can you do to ensure that Connecticut residents maintain control of public water supplies in perpetuity?

Connecticut's water supplies are a resource belonging to the people of the state as a whole; the Attorney General should seek to void any agreements for large scale transfer of water rights to private corporations by municipalities or quasi-public agencies, or to exercise eminent domain to take possession and control of such water resources.

If elected AG, are there any new strategies you will pursue in the fight against opioids?

As AG I will support the legalization of marijuana, the establishment of safe injection zones, and the treatment of drug addiction as a public health matter rather than a criminal matter. The war on drugs is nothing but a war on poor people; therefore I would urge Connecticut to adopt legislation that decriminalizes possession of most controlled drugs in quantities intended for personal use and commutes the sentences of individuals serving time for non-trafficking drug-related offenses.