ELECTION 2023: Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney – Shannon Dillon (Republican) vs. Shannon Taylor (Democrat)
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Incumbent Democrat Shannon Taylor and Republican challenger Shannon Dillon are facing off in the Henrico Commonwealth's Attorney election. First elected in 2011, Taylor is seeking her fourth four-year term in office. In the 2019 election, Taylor defeated her Republican opponent, Owen Conway, with 62.7% of the vote. Dillon, a former owner of a private legal practice and a lieutenant commander in the Navy Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps, aims to unseat Taylor this November.
The Henrico Commonwealth’s Attorney is responsible for the prosecution of all felonies and misdemeanors under the Code of Virginia in the county. In addition to bringing cases to the Circuit Court, General District Court, and Juvenile Courts, the commonwealth’s attorney office collaborates with law enforcement and assists in on-going criminal investigations of the Henrico County Division of Police and the Virginia State Police.
According to The Virginia Public Access Project, Taylor raised $10,565 in the most recent filing period, between Sept. 1 and 30. She raised a total of $138,075 in 2023 and maintains an overall balance of $205,994 as of the latest filing deadline, Oct. 15. Dillon raised $100 in the most recent filing period. In 2023, she raised $7,149 overall and has a current balance of $4,113 as of the latest filing period.
Shannon Taylor
A graduate of the University of Virginia and University of Richmond Law School, Taylor has served as commonwealth’s attorney for more than a decade. If elected to another term, Taylor plans to focus on three issues that have remained priorities throughout her tenure in office: substance-use disorder, mental health and youth.
During her time as commonwealth’s attorney, Taylor has sought to find avenues of treatment for substance-use disorder. In doing so, her office has worked closely with Henrico County’s non-profit recovery community to provide opportunities for offenders.
Education and advocacy about mental health remain top priorities for Taylor. She explained that she has brought in speakers to her office to better inform attorneys on the complexities of mental health diagnoses. Additionally, as president of the Virginia Association of Commonwealth’s Attorneys, an organization focused on law enforcement reform, she characterizes herself as a strong advocate for discussions about mental health on the state level.
The COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected the youth of Henrico county because of the isolation they experienced, Taylor said.
“As we started to reintroduce children in 2022, what we saw was that massive uptick in gun possession and violent crime.” she said. “And so when we're talking about youth today, we're talking about the increase of their participation in violent crime and what we are doing to try to to try to help the youth.” Taylor outlined two primary responses: violence interrupter programs and preventive action beginning in elementary school.
When considering her staff of 80 in the commonwealth attorney’s office, Taylor said diversity was a goal upon initially assuming office. According to Taylor’s website, she has maintained an office with women, Black and LGBTQ+ attorneys. The office also has staff members who can assist Spanish-speakers.
“We are blessed in Henrico County to have an incredibly diverse county, and to build and preserve community trust means to have individuals in this office who look like the individuals in this county who will come through this courthouse,” she said.
If elected to a fourth term in office, Taylor explained that she will bring strong management skills to the office.
“I am a significantly better manager of people today, after having 10 years plus of experience and understanding what it means to be a leader in an office,” she said.
Taylor said that some of the key accomplishments she has made in office is highlighting the importance of considering and addressing mental health issues and substance-use disorders. She also prides herself on the staff she has built and the carrying out her primary duty, enforcing the law.
“We are putting the cases together, cases are going forward, and people are getting held accountable,” she said.
Shannon Dillon
With endorsements from the Henrico Fraternal Order of Police and Henrico Professional Firefighters Association, Dillon said her foremost priority is to encourage a more positive relationship between the commonwealth’s attorney’s office and law enforcement.
Dillon explained that she sees the role of commonwealth’s attorney as central to addressing the rising crime rates in Henrico County, and if elected, she would make doing so a top concern. In 2022, the county saw a 15% rise in the total number of Part 1 offenses (serious crimes). When compared to the five-year average, Part I violent offenses are up 7% and Part 1 non-violent offenses are up 8%.
“The commonwealth’s attorney can set the tone with what we are going to do moving forward,” she said. “I think if you send a message to the surrounding localities that in Henrico County we prosecute you, and we hold you to the highest standards, I think you will see people stop wanting to be in Henrico County and committing offenses.”
In her campaign, Dillon has emphasized the need for a greater focus on Henrico’s youth community in the wake of rising crime rates.
“We continue to do the same thing over, and over, and over again, expecting the same result,” she said.
Rather than focusing on restorative justice for older teenagers and young adults, Dillon advocates addressing the problems at their source when children are in elementary school. If elected, she wants to identify one Henrico school as a test school in which her office can identify issues and monitor children. In doing so, she said she would reestablish relationships with teachers, principals, parents and social workers to make a plan of action.
When considering the issue of mental health, Dillon said, “I think you have to address mental health, but just because somebody has a mental health disorder does not reduce their culpability and the actions that they take.”
In reflecting on issues of substance use disorder, Dillon said she is wary of the quality of the programs in the county and wants to ensure that they actually address the problems at hand.
“We need to have the programs readily available,” she said. “But we need to vet them better to ensure that they are set up to be a treatment facility instead of just an avenue out of jail.”
If elected, Dillon would assess the current staff in the commonwealth’s attorney’s office on both job performance and qualifications. She is highly critical of the approach that Taylor took upon assuming office in 2011, when she fired seven of the office’s lawyers.
“They were probably some of the best, if not the best, prosecutors that Henrico County had, and it was not for purposes of them not doing their job,” she said. “It was all personal. This is not a personal position. My personal opinions do not get to play into it.”
With election day under less than two weeks away, Dillon’s priority is to get her message out and outline how she is different from Taylor.
“Our message is this: our job is to enforce the laws. I will enforce the laws and put bad guys in jail," Dillon said.
LEARN MORE
Shannon Dillon's campaign website
Shannon Taylor's campaign website
Virginia Department of Elections – Citizen Portal
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