ETHICS ACTIVIST ENTERS RACE FOR ATTORNEY GENERAL IN MISSOURI

A state legislator who led the fight in the General Assembly for tighter ethics laws said Tuesday he hopes to continue his efforts to improve public trust in government by serving as Missouri's attorney general.

State Rep. Doug Harpool, D-Springfield, declared at a news conference in Cape Girardeau that "this public service opportunity presents itself as the next logical step of my longtime struggle for ethics in government."

As attorney general, Harpool said he "would continue to be the people's voice in the battle for openness in government and greater integrity in public service."

Harpool claimed he offers citizens an alternative to "politics as usual" and would be the kind of statewide official to which people frustrated with the present system can turn. Many of the reforms he has tried to enact as a legislator, are the kinds of reforms people are calling for, he said.

Whenever people talk about distrust of government, Harpool said he tells them: "I've been trying to fix the very things that have frustrated you."

Because his ethics reforms have targeted special interest groups that control political action committee funds, many insiders in government and other legislators, Harpool said he will have to turn to the people for help in financing his campaign.

Harpool said he does not believe the present problems stem entirely from who is in office now, as with the system they have to operate within.

But Harpool said he fears people will not wait for the system to be changed. "The thing I fear the most is that people will give up and quit trying to find the right candidate to support," he observed. "If they do, the present problems will persist."

During his nine years in the Missouri House, Harpool said he has always noticed that some of the best legislation passes after the people become involved and work toward action.

"People really do impact the system, but unfortunately, out of frustration, they are withdrawing from the system," said Harpool.

"I know that Missourians are frustrated with politics as usual. So am I. That's why I championed ethics reform," he remarked. "The message of my service as attorney general is to replace politics as usual and the pursuit of political advantage with public service.

Besides working to improve trust in government, Harpool said he would use the attorney general's office to fight crime and re-establish the office as the chief law enforcement officer of the state, limit the intrusion of the government into the lives of citizens, and work to reform the state's juvenile justice system.

As attorney general, Harpool said he would work to resolve the St. Louis and Kansas City desegregation issues to "try and negotiate a final resolution of the state's obligation so we know what our debt is and can take a rational approach to funding that."

Any final plan needs to be fair for state taxpayers and local taxpayers in St. Louis and Kansas City and all expenditures must be to improve the quality of education in those areas.

Harpool noted that he will be inheriting a problem that is having a serious economic effect on the state. "You might say the state budget now has an open wound that is bleeding," he said. "The next attorney general can't fix the wound but he can stop the bleeding."

Harpool contends his experience in the General Assembly at working toward solutions to difficult problems, experience as a partner in a large Springfield law firm, and an issue-oriented focus on public service, makes him the best prepared and qualified candidate for attorney general.

His five winning campaigns for the House have been in a Republican area, something Harpool attributes to his focus on issues, rather than gimmicks. He believes that approach will set him apart from other candidates in 1992.

"I did not win those elections through gimmicks, games, or staged media events. I won because voters found me to be a person of ability who works hard, serves sincerely, tackles tough issues and tells the truth," said Harpool. "In this campaign I will continue to leave the gimmicks, games, and gags to candidates who need them."

The 35-year old candidate spent Monday and Tuesday touring Missouri to announce his intentions to seek the Democratic nomination. He is a lifelong resident of Springfield and a graduate of Southwest Missouri State and the University of Missouri-Columbia law school.

He and Cape Girardeau County Prosecuting Attorney Morley Swingle were partners in moot court competition while in law school, and advanced to the national finals.

In the House, Harpool is chairman of the Judiciary Committee, past chairman of the Ethics Committee, the Administrative Rules Committee, and the Governmental Review Committee. He is also a member and past vice chairman of the committee for children, youth and families.