Franklin County commissioner, auditor win reelection against GOP challengers

The president of the Franklin County Board of Commissioners and the county auditor, both Democrats, handily defeated Republican challengers Tuesday to serve four more years in office, according to unofficial results.

In her first election since the county Democratic Party appointed the former Ohio representative to the Board of Commissioners in July 2021, board president Erica Crawley had defeated GOP challenger Luis Gil 63% to 37%, according to unofficial results with 100% of precincts reporting.

Franklin County elections officials will certify vote totals in the coming days.

Commissioners are elected to a four-year term and will get paid $118,407 in 2023, according to the Ohio Revised Code.

"I'm just excited that the voters of Franklin County elected me to be their first Black woman county commissioner," Crawley told The Dispatch. "I don't take this lightly.

"Even though a Democrat was elected tonight, I am a commissioner for all our residents," she said. "I'm honored to serve them for the next four years."

Born and raised in Youngstown, Crawley served in the U.S. Navy and worked for Cuyahoga County Job and Family Services and other social service agencies. She later served two years in the Ohio House of Representatives. She replaced former Franklin County Commissioner Marilyn Brown, who retired in May 2021, after the Franklin County Democratic Party Central Committee picked her from a list of five applicants for the position.

It's the second time in two years that Gil has run for commissioner. He challenged Commissioner John O'Grady in the 2020 general election and lost.

Gil, 61, of the Northwest Side, moved to the United States from his native Venezuela when he was 18. He previously served on the Wharton Village Council in Wyandot County. Since moving to Columbus about nine years ago, he applied a few times for appointment to vacancies on Columbus City Council.

Auditor Michael Stinziano defeats GOP challenger

Meanwhile, incumbent Franklin County Auditor Michael Stinziano, the first Democratic county auditor in 80 years, easily defeated Republican challenger Jarrod Golden in Tuesday's general election, based on unofficial results.

With 100% of precincts reporting, Stinziano defeated Golden 65% to 35%, according to unofficial results.

"I appreciate the support of residents and businesses of Franklin County," Stinziano told The Dispatch. "I'm looking forward to continuing to have the Auditor's Office represent their needs. … We've really committed ourselves to making sure that all residents are able to engage and take advantage of that commitment."

The county auditor serves as the county's chief fiscal officer, assesses property values, oversees weights and measures inspectors and licenses dogs. He will serve a four-year term and will get paid $120,342 in 2023, according to the Ohio Revised Code.

Stinziano, 43, has served as county auditor since 2019, when he beat longtime Republican incumbent Clarence Mingo. Stinziano previously served in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2011 to 2015 and on the Columbus City Council from 2016 to 2018.

Golden, 39, of Westerville, challenged Franklin County Clerk of Courts Maryellen O’Shaughnessy in his first race for elected office in 2020. Golden lost that race, garnering just over a third of the total ballots cast.

Golden, who the county Republican Party said did not actively campaign because of a health issue, made headlines in late October after it was revealed the Twitter account linked to his campaign "liked" and replied to tweets containing sexually explicit and pornographic images earlier this year. The activity on Golden's account was first revealed by D.J. Burns on his Twitter account, "The Rooster."

After The Dispatch contacted Golden about the activity, he deactivated his Twitter account and took to Facebook to say someone had hacked the account.

Golden also deactivated his campaign Facebook page when The Dispatch tried to contact him there to ask about the Twitter activity. A county GOP official then contacted The Dispatch and explained Golden said the account was hacked.

nshuda@dispatch.com

@NathanielShuda

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Franklin County 2022 elections: incumbent commissioner and auditor win