EAST PROVIDENCE -- In a live radio debate today, the candidates for state attorney general focused largely on incumbent Patrick Lynch's handling of The Station nightclub fire.

Lynch's opponent, William Harsch, contended he didn't do his job, while Lynch countered that Harsch was trying to score political points.

Harsch blasted Lynch for failing to prosecute fire officials in West Warwick after the 2003 fire, which killed 100 people, echoing criticism from some families of those killed.

"What you have here is a situation where the attorney general did everything he could to avoid taking public officials to trial," Harsch said.

Lynch said the fire officials "did their job."

"Had there been room under law, they would have been prosecuted," he said.

The 90-minute debate aired live on WPRO-AM.

A recent poll by WPRI-TV showed Lynch, a Democrat, leading Harsch 48 percent to 35 percent among registered voters, with 17 percent undecided.

Lynch has frequently come under fire for his handling of the nightclub fire, most recently for how his office handled a plea deal for club owners Jeffrey and Michael Derderian. Families were upset that Jeffrey received no prison time and Michael received four years behind bars.

Harsch asked Lynch why he would not investigate the leak of a letter Lynch wrote to families of those killed, which was sent anonymously to news organizations before the deal was publicly announced. Lynch said there was no evidence the letter came from his office.

Lynch has said repeatedly he did not approve of the deal and blamed the judge for approving it. But the Derderians' lawyer, Kathleen Hagerty, has said a prosecutor who reports to Lynch offered the same terms on multiple occasions.

Lynch frequently returned to Harsch's legal background, saying Harsch, as a private lawyer, has never worked as a prosecutor.

"It's about experience. It's about making difficult decisions," Lynch said. "Experience is necessary. This gentleman on my right doesn't have it."

Harsch also blasted Lynch for taking campaign contributions from a lawyer who was the chief negotiator for DuPont Co. on a deal to drop it from a lead paint lawsuit now worth billions. DuPont gave $12 million in charitable donations to get out of the lawsuit.

Lynch called his office's victory in the lawsuit against other lead paint companies a landmark decision. But Harsch said the DuPont-related donations and other donations that Harsch says were not properly reported show Lynch is hiding connections.