STEELMAN RUNS FOR STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL

Seven years ago David Steelman was serving his third term in the Missouri House of Representatives and his second term as the top Republican leader in the House. He was regarded as one of the party's rising young stars.

But after the end of his term in 1984, Steelman chose to leave public office and return to private law practice. Now, the 38-year-old Rolla attorney says he's ready to come back and hopes to be elected attorney general next year.

"My time away from politics has given me a deeper and broader perspective on life," said Steelman. "It has taught me what is truly important - faith, family, and friends. I am back in government because I want to make a difference."

In his law practice, Steelman stressed that he "has been working with real people on real problems."

He said it is important the attorney general be able to represent the interests of the people in court on the variety of issues facing the state.

"Like it or not, almost every issue of our day ends up in court," said Steelman. "The attorney general is the lawyer for the people of Missouri and must be aggressive in representing their interests.

Except for the governor's office, Steelman said the attorney general is the statewide official that has the greatest impact on the daily lives of Missouri citizens.

"More and more policy is being decided not by elected officials but by courts. Where your children go to school, how money is spent on education, how and where we can worship, and even what health care is provided to the terminally ill are being determined by judges, not legislators."

As attorney general, Steelman promised he would represent the people in battling consumer fraud, working to resolve court ordered desegregation, environmental problems, and crime.

Steelman suggested a "common sense" approach to environmental issues so that it does not prevent reasonable growth by businesses but at the same time protects natural resources. Rather than using costly and lengthy court proceedings that delays immediate solutions to pollution problems, Steelman said he would work for mediation, rather than litigation.

Discussing crime, the candidate stressed the need to get all agencies organized to fight and win the war against crime and drugs.

During his campaign, Steelman said he intended "to do more listening than talking. I've come to realize that you can learn more when your ears are open than when your mouth is."

In order to learn more by doing, Steelman plans to spend a day doing different jobs around the state so he can better understand the kinds of problems facing citizens.

Holding up two shoes - one a work boot used by a friend of his and the other a shoe worn by his wife, a working mother - the candidate said he planned "walk that extra mile.

"I am sure those experiences will serve to increase my already considerable admiration for those who work extremely hard for every dollar. It is said that you cannot understand how another lives or the choices they make until you have walked a mile in their shoes."

Jobs that Steelman plans to work for a day include teaching, helping at a day care center, farming, serving food at a homeless shelter, working in a mine, construction, heling in drug rehabilitation clinics, and doing factory work.

When he was elected Republican floor leader in 1980 at the age of 27, Steelman is believed to have been the youngest person ever chosen to a legislative leadership post.

His Missouri House district consisted mainly of Dent, Crawford, and Reynolds counties. He was graduated from Salem High School and attended Southwest Missouri State University in Springfield. His bachelor's and law degrees are from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

In his private law practice, Steelman has devoted most of his efforts to commercial and personal injury litigation. In the last two years he has served as a special assistant attorney general. He also serves on the Missouri Supreme Court Rules Committee.

The present attorney general, William Webster, is planning to seek the Republican nomination for governor in 1992.