I was introduced to Kirsta a few weeks ago at the DS High School Pigskins Gala and wanted to share more about her with you all! We met for coffee at Mazama and she shared so much more about her story, experience and running for Hays County DA! Meet my new friend, Kirsta Melton…
Hello Kirsta! Tell us more about yourself …
Hi all! I am a mom of two incredible kids, 24 and 22 years old. My husband Wade and I have been married 30 years this coming March. I am a career prosecutor who has focused on child sexual and physical abuse, adult sex cases, domestic violence from assault to capital murder and human trafficking. I am a military kid who grew up all over the U.S. and spent four years in Germany. My oldest friends go back to people I met in second grade. I am a Christian and do my best to follow in Christ’s footsteps. I get a kick out of jokes about science, and people, animals or creatures walking into a bar. My family often communicates in movie-line shorthand, and I ran the Greek marathon from Marathon to Athens in 2008 to honor my dad.
How long have you been in the Dripping Springs and the Hays County area? What do you love about living here?
Our family moved from Boerne to Dripping Springs in 2015 at the end of our children’s 5 th and 7 th grade years. We delight in the peace and restorative beauty of the land itself, its close proximity to state parks and prime hiking spots. “Melton hiking season” during the late fall, winter and early spring months has been a signature tradition in our family, and you couldn’t ask for a better spot from which to launch. I have also enjoyed meeting people from all over the county, discovering the unique nature of each of our communities and being welcomed into homes, traditions and coffee shops from Wimberley to Buda, San Marcos to Kyle and all the places in between!
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I love being outdoors, hiking, kayaking, and white-water rafting when I get the opportunity. I am an amateur bird watcher and participate in Cornell’s Feeder Watch each year as a citizen-scientist. I love to read everything from history to national security, a smidge of true crime to classic literature, books that make you think to cozy mysteries. I enjoy writing and catch myself pondering plot lines and characters for my own novel.
If you could have a day off in the Hill Country, what would you do and where
would you go?
Assuming we finally get some cooler weather — fingers crossed — I would spend the day at Pedernales Falls for a hike followed by a picnic lunch and time to relax and read by one of the streams.
What got you interested in justice and law?
Each life is a unique amalgam of our experiences and the people we know. I am the eldest of four girls. My dad died when I was 13, and I watched my mom love us through it, manage a farm, work full time, all while fighting and beating life-threatening cancer. My parents’ legacy in my life is one of faith, commitment, service, perseverance and an unshakeable belief that God can and will bring good, even from things others intend for evil. We have put that belief into practice at every opportunity, seeking justice for those who are suffering. My dad served as a JAG attorney for the military. My mom inspired the founding of TAT, (formerly Truckers Against Trafficking), a leading nonprofit in the fight against trafficking. One sister remains in leadership at TAT, two others engage human rights from the corporate side, and I have stood in the gap as a child abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking prosecutor for the last 25 years. Our family believes that people have value, no matter who they are, where they come from, what they’ve done, or what has been done to them. And we believe that value is worth fighting for.
Tell us about your non-profit experience.
I am a co-founder of TAT, formerly Truckers Against Trafficking, which stands committed to educate, equip, empower and mobilize members of key industries and agencies to combat human trafficking. This group started because my mom decided that she and her four girls should do something about injustice and that tackling human trafficking within industry was the place to start. I am also the founder of Institute to Combat Trafficking (ICT), a small nonprofit dedicated to seeking justice for victims of trafficking and accountability for traffickers. Through ICT, I serve as a special assistant district attorney prosecuting cases upon request, teach professionals and university students at TX State and UT, consult with law enforcement and prosecutors in the development of trafficking cases, advise law makers on changes to trafficking law and work with victim- serving agencies and victims of trafficking.
Why did you decide to run for Hays County District Attorney?
Alexis de Toqueville said that “The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.” It is time to begin that process. I am running for Hays County District Attorney because it is my way to step into the fray, to serve in an area where I have deep experience and strong commitment, something to offer to my friends, family, colleagues and neighbors. That’s what it’s all about, each of us doing our part to make our community a better place.
Don’t give up on that.
What separates you from your opponent?
I am qualified to do the work. The Hays County District Attorney’s Office has 114 employees and a budget of $12.6 million. It is responsible for assessing every criminal offense committed in Hays County — thousands of cases per year — determining which cases should be charged, preparing those cases for trial, and representing the community in those prosecutions. The office also serves as general counsel to the Hays County Commissioner’s Court and all county agencies. I have been a felony-level prosecutor for more than 25 years. I have decades of leadership experience, community collaboration and responsible handling of taxpayer dollars.
I have crafted and led teams of civil attorneys and prosecutors and mentor and teach prosecutors across the state. I handled the legislative agenda for the state on human trafficking for multiple sessions, which meant coordinating hundreds of people in the Texas Statewide Human Trafficking Task Force to identify gaps in policy and decide on draft legislation. I educated legislators and staff, testified before the relevant committees and provided resource materials to policy makers. I have taught more than 30,000 people across the country, am an acknowledged expert in my field and a published author.
My opponent spent three months as an intern at the Williamson County District Attorney’s Office during law school. He has never been responsible for the prosecution of a single case. He has never supervised attorneys, investigators, victim service personnel or staff. He has never handled a budget or managed large-scale collaboratives. He has never worked through the Texas legislative process. He has been a defense attorney primarily handling misdemeanors for a total of seven years in a two-man practice. You can’t teach what you don’t know.
Why are you running as an independent?
I am running as an Independent for two reasons — the first is I believe the work of law enforcement, prosecutors and judges should be non-partisan, and we should be making decisions based solely on the facts and the law. Justice decisions should not depend on a person’s party, status, wealth, position or citizenship. Running as an independent is my way of putting my money where my mouth is, because it is a harder path that required me to request and receive hundreds of signatures from Hays County voters before I could earn a spot on the ballot. The second reason is, I, like many Americans, have concluded that neither party is effectively serving the needs of the American people and neither fully reflects my views. To make that determination, I spent time looking at and listening to both parties to determine whether I could run with good conscience on either side. The answer for me was no, and I decided to offer voters another choice.
I do not regret engaging in the inquiry, because it allowed me to meet incredible people in both parties who are dedicated to the county’s welfare, but, in the end, I determined that the ethical obligation of the prosecutor — seeing that justice is done for the victim, the defendant and for the community — was best accomplished from the position of an independent candidate who is focused solely on issues related to the duties of the district attorney.
How can voters find out more about you and your campaign?
They can read more at https://www.kirstamelton.com/ and follow my social media at
https://www.facebook.com/KirstaMelton/ or https://www.instagram.com/kirstamelton/
They can also learn more by attending an upcoming forum or event which they can find on the events page of the website. I am also happy to answer questions sent via the website.
When and where can Hays County residents vote this fall?
Last day to register to vote: Oct. 5
https://www.votetexas.gov/register-to-vote/
Last day to request a mail-in ballot: Oct. 23
https://www.votetexas.gov/voting-by-mail/index.html
Early Voting: Oct. 19-30. Registered and eligible voters may vote at ANY early voting
location located in their county of residence. The early voting and election day
locations can be found at the link below.
https://www.hayscountytx.gov/DocumentCenter/View/5053/Vote-Centers-20261103-
General-Election?bidId=
Election Day: Tuesday, Nov. 3
