Wallin

PROVIDENCE — Eight months after he first emerged as a possible 2010 political contender, Republican defense lawyer Erik B. Wallin put the state Board of Elections and the rest of Rhode Island on notice Wednesday — he is running for attorney general.

The South Kingstown resident and former state prosecutor, who created a campaign fundraising committee in February, ended speculation about his plans when he filed an updated notice of organization form with the state Board of Elections.

He said his goals — should he win — are to lead an attorney general’s office that is more aggressive in fighting public corruption and more hands-on in helping cities and towns deal with sex offenders and gang violence.

Among other things, he said, he would work to close loopholes on sex offender registries and seek tips through a corruption hotline.

“We’ve certainly seen tips lines work well for newspapers, for radio stations, the television stations,” he said. “Certainly, there’s no reason the attorney general’s office shouldn’t be doing the same thing.”

Wallin, 39, describes himself as a native Rhode Islander who grew up in North Kingstown and graduated from Bishop Hendricken High School, Rhode Island College and Roger Williams University School of Law. After law school, he accepted a commission in the Air Force, serving as a military prosecutor, he said.

A onetime candidate for state representative — he lost to Democrat Suzanne M. Henseler in 1996 — Wallin loaned his campaign $25,050 in start-up money during the first half of the year and had $20,236 on hand after raising an additional $8,450 during the three-month period that ended Sept. 30.

He said Wednesday that Rhode Islanders need look no further than the recent state audit at the state landfill to see why the attorney general’s office needs to be more aggressive in fighting corruption. The audit showed that the landfill had squandered some $75 million in public dollars.

The audit shows that the attorney general’s office has made fighting corruption a “low priority,” even when it is “plaguing our state,” he said.

Wallin lives in South Kingstown with his wife, Karissa, and two sons, ages 5 and 2. He is the second candidate to announce a run for attorney general and is one of three to draw attention as a possible candidate.

Democrat Stephen R. Archambault, a Smithfield Town Council member and Lincoln town solicitor, has formally announced that he is running, and Providence City Solicitor Joseph Fernandez, also a Democrat, stepped down in September to focus on a potential run.

Rhode Island’s current attorney general, Patrick C. Lynch, is term-limited and is widely believed to be planning a run for governor.

kgregg@projo.com