Three Democrats are running for Franklin County prosecutor. Here's who they are, their views

In the most heated Franklin County race in the March primary, three Democrats are running for a chance to replace Franklin County Prosecutor Gary Tyack, a fellow Democrat who is retiring after one term.

The NAACP Columbus branch and other groups have called the Democratic county prosecutor primary "historic" as it’s among three Black attorneys, which could lead to Franklin County’s first Black prosecutor — and possibly its first female prosecutor.

The three Democratic party candidates are: Anthony Pierson, deputy chief counsel in Tyack’s office; Columbus City Councilmember Shayla Favor and Delaware City Attorney Natalia Harris. The winner will face John Rutan, a local defense attorney who is unopposed on the Republican ballot, in the November general election.

None of the Democratic candidates will have the benefit of appearing on the party slate card handed out at Franklin County polling places for the March 19 primary. In a dramatic moment during the campaign, the county party’s executive committee narrowly voted in January not to endorse ahead of the primary at the request of the NAACP and others.

All three candidates submitted to screening by the Franklin County Democratic party, and the screening committee recommended Pierson for endorsement based on his experience. At the party's Jan. 25 executive committee endorsement meeting, Favor joined the call for the party not to endorse any candidate ahead of the primary. Pierson got 77 votes, but needed 95 to reach the 60% threshold of voting members present.

Franklin County's next prosecutor will have to grapple with a backlog of murder cases, some involving juveniles; recent Ohio law changes around self-defense that have resulted in more acquittals in killings; and how to handle criminal cases against police officers.

Here’s what the Democrats in the race told The Dispatch about their experience, their vision for the office and how they would handle key issues.

Anthony Pierson

The first candidate to throw their hat in the ring was Pierson, who announced his candidacy in May — the same day he rejoined the Franklin County Prosecutor’s office for a third time.

Tyack’s office created a temporary deputy chief counsel position for Pierson last year with the understanding that Pierson would run to replace Tyack, according to records of emails between the prosecutor's office and the county Office of Management and Budget obtained by The Dispatch.

The management position was created, in part, to oversee the juvenile and grand jury units, which were already overseen by two experienced attorneys. Tyack's office also announced Pierson would focus on minority recruitment, training and retention as well as have a trial docket of homicide and other serious cases. He has been assigned eight cases since May, according to court records.

Tyack and several other county elected officials have endorsed Pierson, including all three county commissioners and Sheriff Dallas Baldwin.

Pierson previously worked in the county prosecutor’s juvenile and gang units. Before his most recent return, Pierson worked in the Ohio Attorney General's Office prosecuting law enforcement shootings and use of force cases.

This included presenting the Jayland Walker case to a Summit County grand jury, which did not return an indictment last year against the eight Akron police officers who shot and killed Walker. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said Walker shot first from his vehicle while being chased.

Pierson has repeatedly pointed out throughout this race that he by far has the most experience prosecuting felony cases.

“For over two decades, I have worked in the criminal justice system,” Pierson, 47, said. “My entire career has been dedicated to making our community safer."

Pierson has laid out a five-point plan for the office if he’s elected that involves training staff; recruiting more Black and minority attorneys; establishing guidelines for sentencing and plea offers; and being transparent in the wake of officer shootings.

Pierson residency

The Dispatch first reported in December that Pierson owns a $465,000 house in Delaware County with his wife in addition to a Columbus condo where he transferred his voter registration in October 2022. Pierson left his Delaware County home as the mailing address on his voter registration with the Franklin County Board of Elections.

Pieron said he has lived or worked in Franklin County since 1999, and he currently does both.

“I live here, I pay taxes here, and I am registered to vote here. I have owned my (condo) since 2010. And it is smack-dab in the middle of Franklin County,” he said.

Shayla Favor

Favor, 43, announced her candidacy in November, less than a month after she had secured reelection to her seat on Columbus City Council. The councilmember made the announcement surrounded by fellow council members and former Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman at The Historic Pythian Theater on Columbus' Near East Side, where Favor lives.

Favor was first appointed to the city council in 2019 to fill an unexpired term. In November 2019, she was elected to her council seat, then reelected last November. Before that, Favor was an assistant Columbus city attorney for five years in the environmental division. In that role, her work included addressing nuisance properties that blighted neighborhoods with crime, she said.

While on the city council, Favor was executive director of a nonprofit funded by the city and Ohio State University aimed at redeveloping the Near East Side. She had that role for two years.

Asked about her lack of experience prosecuting felony cases, Favor said handling misdemeanor cases also requires knowledge and experience with laws.

Favor also noted that criminal prosecution is only one function of the prosecutor's job. Favor saluted her two Democratic opponents for centering their careers on criminal prosecution, but said they are not running for the position of first assistant chief in the criminal division.

“The role of the Franklin County prosecutor is much broader than the narrow experience that can only come from being a career prosecutor. There's an immense amount of talent already in the office that handles felonies and excels at trial advocacy, but the buck starts and stops with you as the chief legal adviser for the third-largest law firm in Franklin County,” Favor said.

Favor won council reelection, then announced prosecutor run

Favor said she understands why announcing her run for a new office so soon after winning reelection would give some residents pause.

“I began to consider running in (the prosecutor’s) race long after I submitted paperwork for my reelection campaign to the Columbus City Council,” Favor said.

Favor said the November 2023 election was historic as the city council expanded from seven to nine seats and moved to electing members through a ward system, though all members are chosen by voters across the city.

“Additionally, with reproductive rights on the ballot for the state of Ohio, I needed to be out front on all the critical issues. Public service is a calling, and when opportunity and preparation meet, we are compelled to respond,” she said.

Natalia Harris

Harris, 49, who lives in Columbus' Far North Side, is lesser known than her two Democratic opponents. She has never run for office before like Favor, nor has she handled any high-profile cases like Pierson.

“I’m currently the highest-ranking legal officer for a city, which is akin to the county prosecutor role – the highest-ranking legal officer for the county,” she said.

Harris was appointed Delaware city attorney in 2020 after serving as the city's chief prosecutor for about a year. Delaware city, the county seat of Delaware County, has a population of about 40,000, but is growing.

In her current role, Harris is responsible for managing a budget and staff, defending the city in civil litigation and advising the city council and all city departments on legal matters, she said.

Harris has held several jobs as a city or county attorney over the past 25 years. Harris was an assistant city attorney in Columbus for 11 years and spent most of that time working in civil and administrative law. She has also worked in the appellate unit of the Montgomery County Prosecutor’s Office in Dayton and she was lead prosecutor for the city of Cincinnati, according to her campaign.

Candidates discuss the issues: Case backlogs

Throughout the race, Harris has said she is running because of a backlog of unresolved murder cases in the county. She alleged in January that the backlog was 251 cases and said that’s evidence new leadership is needed.

Pierson said that number is “wildly” inaccurate. He said the backlog is more like 80 homicide cases, and is largely due to the courts slowing down during the COVID-19 pandemic.

There were 168 homicide cases indicted in 2023 alone and the average murder case from indictment to trial takes 1½ to 2 years, Pierson said.

Still, Pierson said he has prioritized training staff since rejoining the office in May on how to best handle complex cases and get that backlog down.

Favor said as prosecutor, she would work quickly to assess where the backlog exists and make a plan with existing staff, prioritizing homicide and other violent crimes.

Juvenile cases

Reporting by The Dispatch and other Ohio papers last year uncovered poor conditions in the state’s juvenile prisons and jails that struggle to rehabilitate incarcerated youth. At the same time, Columbus and most major U.S. cities are dealing with a rise in teens stealing cars and carrying guns.

Favor said people who break the law must be held accountable.

“However, I don’t believe we can prosecute our way out of the public health crisis that is youth violence in our community. Catch and release is a problem. As Franklin County prosecutor, I want to increase the number of youth diversion programs,” Favor said.

Favor also criticized Tyack’s office for not adequately supporting a pilot diversion program in the juvenile court for kids accused of car theft.

Harris called the rising juvenile cases a “community issue,” and she would also try to divert juveniles before they touch the justice system by engaging the community to reach solutions.

“Under my administration juveniles will be held accountable for the crimes they commit, but also have the resources available for successful rehabilitation if they so choose,” Pierson said.

Self-defense, 'stand your ground' cases

The Dispatch has reported on the increasing prevalence of self-defense claims in Franklin County murder trials and how more than half the time last year, such defendants won acquittal.

Law changes in Ohio in recent years have shifted the burden of proof in self-defense cases to the prosecution and largely removed the duty to retreat, making Ohio a 'stand your ground' state.

“With more people carrying guns, there has been a rise in these kinds of homicides, not just trials,” Favor said. 

Favor said she would invite defendants asserting self-defense to testify before the grand jury. She also said she would establish training for prosecuting attorneys so they can explain the new law to a jury of lay persons and conduct effective jury selection. 

Pierson said prosecutors across the state have been struggling with the law changes. He said he would be a vocal advocate for the legislature to repeal or amend the law, while also refining the office’s strategy in the meantime.

Harris said she would review each case to determine if there are any trends and proceed accordingly.

Prosecuting law enforcement officers

How to handle prosecuting law enforcement officers for fatal shootings was a theme in the last prosecutor’s election and it’s a theme now.

Favor criticized Tyack’s office for not resolving officers' cases promptly, former Columbus police officer Adam Coy and former Franklin County Sheriff’s deputy Jason Meade.

After a jury could not reach a verdict in Meade’s murder trial and the judge declared a mistrial on Feb. 19, the prosecutor candidates largely agreed the special prosecutors should retry Meade for the 2020 fatal shooting of Casey Goodson Jr.

Favor declined to discuss the case with The Dispatch when asked before the retrial was announced.

The prosecutor’s office represents the county and sheriff’s office in civil litigation, so Tyack had to bring in outside special prosecutors to handle Meade’s case. But a prosecutor has leeway on whether to bring in special prosecutors on police cases and then can decide whether to contract private attorneys or ask the Ohio Attorney General’s Office or another county prosecutor’s office to handle the case.

Tyack has taken all three approaches at different times.

Favor criticized Tyack for not having a consistent policy on when to bring in a special prosecutor and said she would formalize the procedure to restore community trust.

Pierson said there are pros and cons to handling the case internally versus appointing special counsel.

“Local handling of these cases can sometimes be perceived to come with bias because of close working relationships, whereas transferring to special counsel can give some peace of mind knowing there is separation,” he said. “I plan to have ongoing community conversations on the best approach, taking into account transparency and accountability.”

Pierson said to increase transparency, if a grand jury were to not return an indictment against an officer, his office would post the entire case file online within 48 hours.

Harris said she would prosecute officers who commit crimes the same way she would prosecute anyone else who commits crimes. She said special prosecutors would be brought in on cases the office could not legally handle and the determinations on others would be case-by-case.

jlaird@dispatch.com

@LairdWrites

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Three Democrats are running for Franklin County prosecutor in primary