O’connor to seek re-election as recorder

Franklin County Recorder Danny O’connor will seek re-election to his current post rather than challenge incumbent county Prosecutor Ron O’brien in next year’s general election.

O’connor, a Democrat, announced the decision Monday, about a month after telling The Dispatch that he was considering the prosecutor’s race. The filing deadline for either county office isn’t until middecember.

"I’m looking forward to continuing to work for veterans, small business owners and homeowners in the county and looking forward to talking about the good work that we’ve done so far for them ... and the good work that we’re going to continue to do," O’connor said.

The decision means, O’connor for the moment, that no other Democrat has publicly announced intentions to challenge O’brien, a Republican and longestserving prosecutor in Franklin County history. O'brien announced earlier this year his plans to seek a seventh term for the office he’s held since 1996.

O’connor was elected county recorder in 2016, taking the helm of an office responsible for handling property deeds and other legal documents in one of the fastest-growing real estate markets in the country. About 175,000 documents are filed with the office annually.

Last year, O’connor was unsuccessful in his bid for a central Ohio congressional seat, falling to Republican Troy Balderson, a former state lawmaker. O’connor already has said he wasn't considering another 12th District run in 2020.