OPINION: Kyle Stone focuses on 'unity, transparency and justice' in race for prosecutor

Editor's note: The Canton Repository asked the two candidates running for Stark County prosecutor to write guest essays.

Our national political landscape has become so divisive and there is a call for real public servants to step up and put people before politics, love before hate, fairness before favors, and the law before opinion.

Back in 2019 when I decided to run and seek the office of the Stark County prosecuting attorney, I did it because I believed that there was a change that needed to take place in our criminal justice system. Stark County deserved then and continues to deserve an active prosecutor.

I believe my original three pillars are still a guiding force here in my fourth year. Unity, transparency and justice have remained the principles that we have operated under since taking office.

Having unity in the criminal justice system allows for more impact, more change and more awareness. Over the past four years, we have created very meaningful partnerships and collaborations. For example, our Crime Prevention Collaborative with over 20 local agencies around Stark County meets once a month, and evaluates current trends and steps that can be taken to ensure we are addressing root causes of crime within the community.

Just recently we launched our “Keep Kids In School” initiative in partnership with Canton City Schools, Educational Service Center and seven other school districts. This initiative is designed to assist in the fight against truancy.

We partnered with local and federal law enforcement to help fight against gun violence in our community and we have seen a decline in major violent crimes because of this unity and collaboration.

In addition, due to our office participation on federal task forces, the Stark County Prosecutor's Office is on track to receive over $600,000 in equitable share funds.

In response to an uptick in domestic violence cases, as well as domestic-related homicides, we have collaborated with Domestic Violence Project Inc., Community Legal Aid, Family Court, and the Sheriff's Office to create a Family Justice Center designed to provide wholistic services to survivors of domestic violence and their families.

This was solidified with the recent announcement of the prosecutor’s office receiving a $500,000 grant from the Department of Justice. Unity matters in this work.

When it comes to transparency, we have elevated the amount of openness and availability the community has to the office. For the last three years, I have held town hall meetings across the county to allow the people of Stark County a glimpse in how our office works.

We have also created a database that will allow for the public to see how a case started and how it was completed, to ensure we are being fair and consistent. I continue to make myself and my staff available so that we can connect with the community and provide insight to the processes that have been implemented under my leadership.

Lastly when we look at the pillar of justice, we are reminded most of why we do the work of being prosecutors. Under my leadership, my office has an almost perfect conviction rate for homicide cases. We have substantially increased the amount of direct indictments that we have presented to the grand jury since taking office.

We eliminated policies and actions that unfairly tip the scales of justice in the state's favor and we still maintain a high conviction rate. When presented with the evidence, we assisted a young man who was wrongfully convicted at the age of 16.

I am the working prosecutor that Stark County needed. I have prosecuted multiple cases since taking office and I continue to serve as the prosecutor for our Honor Court supporting our veterans. In addition to the courtroom, I am in the boardroom for local charities, and in the classroom teaching our 3Rs program to our high school students.

While my opponent has 50 years of courtroom experience, I am unable to compete with that because I am only 41. The good news is that to be successful in this job you need to be able to lead people.

We have been successful in the past four years because I have the skill set, temperament, and passion to lead a staff of 70 individuals. I believe I have earned another four years to serve Stark County as your prosecuting attorney.

Kyle Stone , a Republican, is the incumbent Stark County prosecutor. He is running for a second term.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: OPINION: Kyle Stone focuses on 'unity, transparency and justice' in race for prosecutor