Cool Cleveland Interviews Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Candidates
As a service to the community, Cool Cleveland has invited all five Cuyahoga County Prosecutor candidates to respond to a series of questions prior to the primary election on Tuesday, March 6, 2012. Because no Republican candidates are running, the Democratic candidate with the most votes in the Democratic Primary on Tue 3/6 will become the next County Prosecutor. Responses to these questions will be reprinted verbatim, up to the requested limit of 350 words total.
QUESTION 1: (two parts)
On a scale of one to ten, please rate the current prosecutor’s office.
James J. McDonnell response: While the current Prosecutor’s Office does some things well, there is always room for improvement. Overall, I would rate it as a 6 or 7.
Then, in 350 words, please tell our readers what you would do differently.
James J. McDonnell response: One of the original reasons I decided to run for Cuyahoga County Prosecutor is that we need changes in our grand jury system. In my experience as a City Prosecutor and defense attorney, I have seen a number of cases that have gone to the Prosecutor’s Office that should have been taken care of at the municipal level. In 2010 there were 12,000 cases brought to the Prosecutor’s Office. Two thousand of these resulted in plea bargains to misdemeanors. If these cases are taken care of at the municipal level, we save tax dollars and the County Prosecutor’s Office is better able to focus on more serious crimes.
As Prosecutor, I would also increase community outreach on behalf of the office. The citizens of Cuyahoga County are wary of their government in light of the recent scandals. Regaining the trust of our citizens is important and can be facilitated with direct interactions between government entities and citizens in the communities where they live.
Outreach will also be important to our goals with regard to diversity. The office should reflect the diversity of Cuyahoga County, but this isn’t going to happen without effort on our part. The most important thing is to reach out to young people before they graduate from high school and make decisions regarding their plans for higher education. Women and minorities must be encouraged to see the importance of the law and how diversity in the legal system can lead to a better justice system and society.
As Prosecutor, I will focus on developing effective and ethical assistant Prosecutors, who know how to be tough but fair. I will put a great deal of emphasis on the content of trainings for Assistant Prosecutors. I will also lead by example, taking on a few cases per year to demonstrate the correct way to handle cases regarding certain types of crimes.
One Response to “Prosecutor Candidate McDonnell Rates The Current Prosecutor’s Office”
Art McKoy
Diversity… yes – Brother Art would like a slice of THAT pie. Hook me up with a cushy j-o-b!