Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson spoke on several topics in July 2018 at the Twin Cities Rotary.
In an effort to reach every corner of Washington, Attorney General Bob Ferguson visits Rotary clubs across the state. Since he took office in 2013, Ferguson has been to 128 Rotary club meetings, he said Friday during a stop in Lewis County.
“The idea of going to every Rotary simply came because it forces me to go to every corner of the state,” Ferguson told The Chronicle. “There are Rotaries in every big town, small towns, all around the state. I like getting around the state — it’s part of my job. It sort of gives me a reason to show up in a community and hear from folks about what’s on their mind, so I’m not hearing from the same folks who have the same perspective.”
On Friday morning, Ferguson attended the Twin Cities Rotary Club meeting to discuss how the Office of the Attorney General functions and a couple of his priorities.
“It was very informative,” said Duane Bryant, who is the president of Twin Cities Rotary. “He (Ferguson) is a good speaker and I thought there were really good, pertinent questions from people in the club. Overall, that’s a good topic and it went well.”
When Ferguson addressed Twin Cities Rotary, he said that in many respects Rotaries are in the same business as the people in his office. He noted that the people in his office are there because they want to serve the public.
The two issues he discussed most during his talk regarded consumer protection and the opioid epidemic.
“They’re just both big priorities,” Ferguson said. “Sometimes I focus on different things just to mix it up. But those are two that I speak about a lot, in part because I want folks to know on the consumer protection side that we are a resource for them and can be an advocate for the people of the state.”
The Consumer Protection Division enforces the Consumer Protection Act, which aims to ensure that the Washington marketplace is void of unlawful or deceptive practices. The division “recovers refunds for consumers, seeks penalties against offending entities, and recovers costs and fees to ensure that wrongdoers pay for their actions.”
Ferguson said his office receives as many as 30,000 complaints a year regarding consumer protection.
“The Consumer Protection Division is that rare thing — it makes money for the state,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson also discussed the opioid epidemic, some of its obstacles and how he believes the state should address them.
“It’s just such a big challenge that we have right now,” Ferguson said. “I want to let folks know what we are trying to do and what the options are for the legislature to improve our situation.”
Audience questions covered the opioid epidemic, immigration, religious freedom and advice on dealing with public records requests.
Ferguson noted after his discussion that when he was previously on King County Council, he interacted with the public daily.
“You have public hearings (and) you’re meeting with constituents, which I enjoyed,” Ferguson said of his work at the county level. “I realized once I became attorney general that I could spend all day in the office and, frankly, never interact with the public. I’m with my team or state clients, but not with the public. So when I went to a Rotary club meeting shortly after becoming attorney general, I really liked it. It’s a chance to talk about the office, but also (receive) feedback.”
