The John O’Grady Five Point Plan for Franklin County
“This plan is the culmination of meetings with key business, labor, community, and elected
leaders from across Ohio. I will use this plan to guide my first term as your Franklin County
Commissioner.”



1. Working together as a region
“The mark of my service as your County Commissioner will be collaboration with everyone.
I will help create a One Stop Shop for the county, cities and townships to fight foreclosures
in Central Ohio.”

Collaboration between county, cities, and township governments and our local economic
development leaders. Providing improved individual and family services like a One Stop Shop
for doing business with county and city government has been a centerpiece of the Clerk of
Courts office since John O’Grady was elected. John O’Grady will put this collaboration
to work as he takes charge of the regional taskforce that is fighting the foreclosure
crisis in Central Ohio.

Cooperative government throughout Franklin County. A new generation of leadership begins
with bringing together labor and business leaders, public and private sectors to solve the
challenges facing our county. The airport authority is another great example of this work in
progress. John O’Grady will continue this regional cooperation by helping create a
One Stop Shop for the county, cities and townships to fight foreclosures in Central
Ohio.

Bi-partisanship in action. John O’Grady has built his public service around developing effective
partnerships with all elected leaders, Republicans and Democrats. John O’Grady will continue
the successful growth of our region with his proven ability to put people over party.

2. Engaging the community in our government full-time
“I will be a full-time Commissioner so every voice is heard on important issues like Huntington
Park and the new Courthouse. Working full-time helped me end the corruption and fraud I
inherited at the Clerk’s office.”

Full-Time commitment to the County Commission. For the last seven years, John O’Grady has
been our County’s full-time Clerk of Courts. As a full-time elected official, John O’Grady took on
the corruption, inefficiency, and fraud that marred this important office after years of inattention.
John O’Grady will be a full-time Commissioner so every voice is heard on important
issues like Huntington Park and the new Courthouse.

Effective government begins with community involvement. The best government decisions are
made when our community is fully engaged in the process. John O’Grady will work with all
county officials to make sure every voice is heard by reviewing and expanding
opportunities for community input.

Proven ability to bring everyone together. It sounds simple, but this starts with being able to
work full-time with the mayors, council members, businesses, and unions throughout Franklin
County. Now, some people talk about “working together” – John O’Grady has the proven ability
to do it. John O’Grady will leverage his strong working relationships with current county
decision-makers to move Franklin County forward.

3. Demonstrating fiscal responsibility
“The way we fund our priorities says a lot about who we are as a community. My Clerk’s office
had the same budget for seven years while our caseload has skyrocketed.
We’ll do more with less on the Commission, too.”Doing more with less. Especially in tough
economic times, we must continue to deliver first-class services at a price we can all afford.
As Clerk of Courts, John O’Grady began his service as Clerk of Courts with a $12 million budget
and 240 employees. Today, the Clerk’s Office has a $12 million budget and 231 employees – and
by streamlining the service process, does significantly more work. John O’Grady will bring
strong financial stewardship to the Franklin County Commission.

Accountability to our community. The way we fund our priorities says a lot about who we are
as a community. As elected officials, we must be clear and accountable for every dime. This will
give current businesses and potential investors the confidence they need to partner with us in
Franklin County. That’s good government and good business. John O’Grady will be accountable
for County spending.

Funding our priorities. We have one clear priority for Franklin County – we must grow our economy
so we can provide first-class social services and fight the foreclosure crisis. John O’Grady will focus
on maintaining affordable housing for individuals and families, funding and expanding the neighborhood
health centers, and helping parents work by maintaining and expanding the child care early learning
programs. John O’Grady will use strong social services priorities to guide his decision-making
on the Franklin County Commission.

4. Lift up every city, township, and village with the jobs of the future
“Now is the time to invest in the future of our region. We must invest in roads and rail at Rickenbacker,
redevelopment of Cooper Stadium, and revitalization of brownfields sites across the county.”
Going green in Franklin County. Going green is good for government, business, and labor. John
O’Grady will promote green jobs with the 315 Research Corridor, partnerships like the
Big Darby Accord, and new green county facilities.

Delivering services that work for Franklin County. As we invest in the families of Central Ohio, we are
also investing in the future of our region. This investment in education will pay big dividends for
individuals, families and Franklin County. John O’Grady will focus on expanding access to early
childhood learning centers and afterschool care that allows the opportunity for parents
to work in jobs. Invest in the infrastructure of the 21st century. The money we spend today will
allow for the creation of the new jobs we need tomorrow. John O’Grady will support investment
in roads and rail at Rickenbacker, redevelopment of Cooper Stadium, and revitalization of
brownfield sites across the county.

5. Opportunity for all to succeed
“Housing for all. Healthcare for all. Jobs for all. As your Commissioner, I will always fight for these
values by supporting expanded access to early childhood learning and fully-funded Neighborhood
Health Centers.”

Housing for all. John O’Grady supports the new generation of leaders efforts to continue to fully
fund the Rebuilding Lives Plan for Alternative Housing and Independence. John also supports
expanding the Affordable Housing Trust Fund.

John O’Grady will lead the regional taskforce tracking the foreclosure crisis in Central Ohio.
Healthcare for all. We must find ways to support the healthcare needs of all Central Ohioans.
John O’Grady will fight for accessible healthcare through Neighborhood Health Centers
and Access Health Columbus.

Jobs for all. John O’Grady supports job development for everyone. We know that opportunity
takes a lot of forms. One that is vital to our community is our local summer jobs programs.
John O’Grady will fully support summer jobs programs and job re-training for Central
Ohio’s excellent workforce.