Democrat and City of Columbus councilmember Shayla Favor is on the precipice of making history. Favor is about to become the first African American and woman to lead the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office, and the first Black woman in the state to hold this position.

And not a moment too soon. In a recent interview with WOSU, she said she will hire more people of color. No doubt the lack of diversity in the Prosecutor’s Office, which is being vacated by Democrat Gary Tyack, is confounding. Out of 130 attorneys, only 11 are minorities.

Favor as many know is aligned with Columbus’s “establishment Dems.” Former Mayor Michael Coleman was on stage with her when she announced her candidacy.

She should win handedly against her Republican opponent, John Rutan, who is candid about his own past criminal behavior, as he served time in jail for assault when he was in college. He also told WOSU: “God gave us the death penalty to utilize for evil spirits…And so I’d use them all day long.”

Favor, by all indications, wants to continue to transform the office with progressive policies, even though the office has been under heavy scrutiny for being too soft on juvenile crime. She intends to hold violent criminals accountable, but low-level non-violent offenders will have minimal court involvement and not be incarcerated. Meaning most illicit drug abusers will be directed to treatment so to reduce recidivism. She’s also called the legal system “unjust.”

But not mentioned on Favor’s campaign website is the agreement she made with several progressive activist groups. That she is committed to creating an advisory committee between them and the Prosecutor’s Office.

During her contested primary campaign, the Ohio office for Working Families Party gave their endorsement to Favor, an endorsement which some have suggested propelled her to victory. Working Families Party (WFP) is a national multiracial org that “fights for workers over bosses.” Other progressive activists also gave support to Favor, such as the Ohio Families Unite for Political Action and Change (OFUPAC), the lobbyist arm of Ohio Families Unite Against Police Brutality.

However, says Aleena Starks, political director of the Ohio’s WFP, their endorsement came with “asks,” or demands they wish Favor abides by after she wins.

For example, to further the policy of “harm reduction” for low-level offenders, especially for users of illicit drugs. Also to provide more funding for mental health services to offenders.

Intriguing is another “ask” they made. The creation of the advisory committee.

“We asked her if she would be willing to have an advisory committee to help her when she is elected as prosecutor,” says Starks. “She did agree to this, and that we would circle back to this conversation. The idea behind it is to keep an open line of communication between the [activist] organizations who endorsed her and got her elected [in the Democrat primary].”

Starks continued, “I have no reason to believe that she will not follow through on this and engage the community, and not let us down. She didn’t take this lightly. She could completely ignore me on this, but she has not.”

The Free Press reached out to Favor for a response regarding a potential advisory committee, and she responded through email.

“I’ve said since entering this race that I want to see this office lead with transparency and prioritize accountability. I believe that means being accessible to groups like Working Families Parties, Ohio Families Unite for Political Action and Change, as well as any group in our community, for that matter, that is committed to my goal of keeping our community safe while treating all Franklin County residents fairly with dignity and respect,” stated Favor. “Should I win on Election Day, I will announce a transition team in the coming weeks that will assist with the implementation of the priorities that I have outlined throughout my campaign for Franklin County Prosecutor, including working in partnership with organizations to create a direct line of communication to hear and address concerns.”

Local establishment Dems such as Favor have made promises before, but many times did not follow through, something activists have told the Free Press for years.

“The OFUPAC endorsed Shayla Favor for prosecutor, and one of our priorities is that she in this role re-open investigations into previous cases of police brutality in Franklin County that were closed or never resolved,” says OFUPSC executive director Emily Cole. “We’ve also asked and expect communications on active cases to go to the immediate family of the victim of police violence first prior to going to the media.”

Cynthia Brown, who leads the Ohio Coalition to End Qualified Immunity, says, “I would like for her to address accountability and transparency especially dealing with police killings and take a closer look at wrongful convictions.”

Qualified immunity is the legal doctrine which allows government workers such as police to escape consequences for unreasonable behavior even when they violate someone’s constitutional rights.

Brown’s nephew, Kareem Ali Nadir Jones, was shot and killed by Columbus police in 2017. He was approached by police for no good reason and ordered to get on the ground. He was then shot by two white officers in the face, neck, and back.

“The primary duty of the prosecutor is to seek justice within the bounds of the law, not merely to convict,” said Brown. “I would like her to follow the law. I think Franklin County residents’ constitutional rights, civil liberties and human rights should be protected. I think people are tired of broken promises. The community needs elected officials who are going to make sure of accountability and transparency.”