New prosecutor offers new promises and hope

It's hard not to like Shane Young.

Shane and Teresa Young took a commemorative photo Monday after the oath of office ceremony for the commonwealth attorney and staff conducted at the Elizabethtown Police Department.

After all, you have to like a man who chokes up while trying to describe how important his wife is to him.

Shortly after taking the oath of office last week to officially become commonwealth's attorney for the 9th Circuit, Young struggled for the words to aptly describe his devotion to his wife, Teresa, who will serve alongside him as one of the assistant commonwealth's attorneys.

Otherwise, Young is not a person who has trouble expressing himself.

In fact, he easily shares his enthusiasm for this new job as chief prosecutor. And others are getting caught up in that excitement.

Police officers openly embrace his arrival in the job. They cherish his promise to be available and consistent.

Members of the county attorney's office, where Young recently was on staff, are thrilled about the new partnership they have in this judicial process.

By the nature of their jobs, defense attorneys and judges must be more subdued in their reactions. Yet some of Young's promised changes that will accelerate the process of justice are being welcomed.

Certainly, he's a change from Chris Shaw, who decided against running for re-election. If he returns telephone calls, that alone will be an improvement.

Young promises to be much more.

He and County Attorney Jenny Oldham hope to implement a mutally beneficial prosecutorial approach that they hope will serve as a model of efficiency.

Young builds his ideas upon trusting the system and trusting his staff. His two rules for his handpicked staff, "do justice" and "don't screw it up."

While he empowers the staff and is asking them to work primarily in areas of their personal interest and expertise, Young also will be active in the courtroom and out. He promises to reallocate resources in ways that will provide taxpayers with "more bang for our buck."

Since his uncontested election in November, Young has been actively spreading the word among government officials, law enforcement and the legal community about his objectives. Now it's time to make good on those promises and he's running head long in that direction.

It may require some baby steps. Some aspects of change will prove harder to implement than to dream up. Not everything will work.

But it's exciting to welcome his enthusiasm. This job will provide many challenges. He seems up to the task.

And Teresa will be there to help.

Ben Sheroan is editor of The News-Enterprise. He can be reached at (270) 505-1764 or bsheroan@thenewsenterprise.com.