COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther is accused of engaging in ex parte communication and attempting to influence a judge to shut down the Greyhound bus terminal in west Columbus, according to Franklin County Municipal Court documents.
The judge on the case, Stephanie Mingo, held an emergency status conference on Oct. 12 with counsel for Barons Bus Inc, Greyhound Lines and the City of Columbus. During the conference, the judge disclosed the content of a phone call that she had with an “elected official.”
The judge held the conference to abide by Judicial Code Rule 2.9 (B), which states:
“If a judge receives an unauthorized ex parte communication bearing upon the substance of a matter, the judge shall make provision promptly to notify the parties of the substance of the communication and provide the parties with an opportunity to respond.”
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According to the transcript of proceedings from the conference, Mingo said that she received a voicemail on Oct. 10, which they then forwarded to the bailiff. This is done to prevent the judge from hearing messages referencing open cases.
The bailiff informed Mingo after listening to the voicemail that an elected official left a message requesting a callback, though the elected official did not reportedly give any indication on the subject matter.
The judge later returned the call and left a voicemail with their phone number.
According to court documents, the official called Mingo’s cell phone again on Oct. 11.
The judge said, according to the best of her recollection, that the following statements were made by the official: (They noted that this is not a word-for-word account.)
I know you care about the community. I care about the community. This Greyhound station is a problem for the community. We really need you to do the right thing for the community and shut it down.
The judge said she responded, declining to comment on specifics of the case and informing the elected official that any discussion would be an ethics violation.
Ginther was not named at the time of the conference. His title was listed as “elected official” until Barons Bus and Greyhound Lines filed a joint motion for the judge to reconsider identifying the “elected official” in the ex parte communications.
On Nov. 21, the judge granted the motion and disclosed Ginther as the source of the ex parte communication to all parties.
According to court records, Ginther was accused of attempting to influence the judge to grant the relief the city is seeking, which included “ceasing all operations at the premises.”
10TV reached out to the mayor's office for comment and received the following response from spokesperson Melanie Crabill:
“At the heart of the matter is the fact that the company continues to operate against the will of the community, and we will continue to do everything we can to keep the neighborhood safe.”
Court documents say that the judge followed code and promptly and appropriately disclosed the communication to the parties’ counsel.
Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein's office provided the following statement regarding the accusation:
“We’re not going to offer any comment on Greyhound while the Court hearing is ongoing. Our lawyers will be addressing this and other issues during the course of the proceedings. All of us at the city have the shared concern that the Greyhound terminal on Wilson Road is a nuisance and must be shut down and moved, and we’ll use this proceeding to prove it.”
There is a hearing for the bus terminal scheduled for Friday.