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4 Columbus Officials Ordered to Pay for Ohio State Game
By: Associated Press
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Ethics Commission says four elected Columbus officials paid less than they should have to watch an Ohio State football game in a luxury suite with a lobbyist.
The Columbus Dispatch reports the commission determined Mayor Andrew Ginther, Councilman Shannon Hardin, former Councilwoman Michelle Mills and Franklin County Municipal Court Judge Eileen Paley paid $250 to watch the Buckeyes at the 2014 Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis.
The commission says the trip was worth nearly $700 and has ordered the city to pay the difference.
The suite belonged to food vendor Centerplate, awarded a contract at a Columbus-area convention center days earlier.
Ginther called the allegations “baseless.” The others didn’t immediately respond to messages.
Franklin County terminated its contract with Centerplate after an internal investigation uncovered collusion.