Councilman Stinziano to challenge Mingo for job
Columbus City Councilman Michael Stinziano will challenge Franklin County Auditor Clarence Mingo for his seat this year.
Stinziano formally announced his longrumored plans to run for the office on Tuesday.
“I think it’s a very important office and a lot of residents don’t know the value it provides to the county,” he said. “I think having an auditor that’s taking the office into the 21st century is important.”
Stinziano said the auditor’s office, which oversees the Franklin County Data Center, has a chance to use technology to make services easier to access for residents. The county, though, is behind the times, he said.
Mingo said that Franklin County has the “most modern county auditor’s office in the state,” pointing to the use of drones to help in property assessments and data-center changes. He has been county auditor since his appointment in 2009, and he won four-year terms in 2010 and 2014.
Mingo had announced a run for Ohio treasurer but dropped out in October after he couldn’t raise enough money to mount a competitive campaign. He said then that he instead would run for re-election, with a sixfigure campaign fund in tow.
“It’s a very challenging race, one that I expect will have a big opportunity to share our vision for the office and how it can be better for the residents of Franklin County,” Stinziano said.
Stinziano, 38, has been a Columbus city councilman since 2016 and was appointed president pro tempore, the council’s second in command, this year.
Before that, he represented the 25th District in the Ohio House of Representatives from 2011 to 2016, and was the director of the Franklin County Board of Elections. He is an attorney at McTigue & Colombo.
He holds a law degree from Ohio State University and a master’s of public administration from George Washington University. He lives in the University District with his wife and two children.