The City of Columbus has terminated its contract with Redflex, the Arizona-based red light camera company. Columbus mayor Michael Coleman announced the move in a prepared statement Wednesday morning.
The 10-year-old contract’s termination comes amidst an investigation into questionable donations that the company says it was pushed to make to local Democrats in exchange for maintaining the contract.
The written release quotes Coleman as saying, “Based upon the City’s contract authority, we will be terminating the contract with Redflex immediately. I support a photo red light camera program because it saves lives, however the actions of the Redflex executives have raised questions about the integrity of their program.”
In her guilty plea Finley alleges a Columbus elected official received several thousand dollars from Redflex; money that was funneled through a lobbyist and the Ohio Democratic Party. A cross check of campaign finance reports indicate City Council President Andrew Ginther, who is running for mayor, received the donation in question.
Ginther denies any wrongdoing.
The cameras were shut off earlier this year after a new state law severely limited their use.
