Commissioner John O'Grady cops to paid junket in Japan
O'Grady claimed to "not know" who paid for the "trade trip" to Japan in recent weeks.
The current mood emanating from the Franklin County Commissioners through public-facing organs and unofficial back channels has been one of “belt tightening.”
Jordan Laird of The Columbus Dispatch reported the following on Sept. 18:
Franklin County is tightening the belt as it begins its 2026 budgeting process in light of expected reductions in money from the state and federal government. Franklin County Administrator Kenneth Wilson is asking all agencies to cut their budgets by 2.5% next year and recommending a 25% reduction in discretionary grants, or about a $14 million cut.
Which made it curious then, last week, when The Rooster received an anonymous tip that Commission president Erica Crawley, Commissioner John O’Grady, and Franklin County Administrator Kenneth Wilson took a trip to Japan, with the source of funding yet to be determined.
It’s a long walk from the inbox to a public adjudication on the matter.
But not wanting to waste my time with some flak from the communications department or endure the tedious public records request timeline, I boarded the 8:00 a.m. Satanic Six Bus at Hague and Sullivant on Tuesday to ask the commissioners personally.
The Franklin County Commission has one of the sweetest rackets going in Ohio Democratic politics. The public comment slip required to speak stipulates that testimony won’t be “hostile.”
But when presented with the question, “Has anyone in this room been to Japan in recent weeks?” O’Grady confirmed the trip with President Crawley and Administrator Wilson, noting that it was a “trade trip” without offering any other specifics.
When asked who paid for the trip, O’Grady hilariously claimed that he didn’t know, which, if true, opens a slew of questions about how easily nefarious actors could peddle influence with one of three county commissioners—if that were something they were interested in doing.
We’ll have to undergo the aforementioned tedious public records request process to ascertain who, exactly, paid for the three public officials’ oh-so-vital “trade trip” to Japan, which they hid from public eye during an ostensible budgetary freeze for every other dollar under the commission’s discretion.
Whatever the source, it’s clear those expenses didn’t come out of O’Grady’s pocket.
The Rooster will have more on this story as it develops. Video will be added as soon as the Franklin County Commission gets around to publishing Tuesday’s General Session to its YouTube channel.