As Minnesota’s attorney general, Charlie Weaver said improving the safety of the state’s residents would be his top priority.
“Students should be able to walk home from the libraries at night or walk across campus without having to worry,” Weaver said.
While Weaver said the attorney general has less to do with higher education than other government offices on a daily basis, he said his emphasis on consumer protection would benefit students, particularly problems that arise with housing and landlords. His other concerns include health care.
Weaver graduated from the University Law School in 1984 and practiced with a Minneapolis law firm from 1984 to 1991. He was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1988 and is now serving his fifth term, representing Anoka and Coon Rapids.
During his tenure in the Legislature, Weaver said he focused on school finance and criminal justice by serving on the Education and Judiciary committees. He authored the Safe Schools Act, which made it a felony to carry weapons in schools. He said he successfully authored bills to curb repeat drunken driving and allow juries to hear DNA statistical evidence in rape and murder trials.
Weaver joined the Anoka County Attorney’s office as a criminal prosecutor in 1991. Since then, Weaver prosecuted more than 650 felons.