O'Grady said it's his experience managing budgets, both as a business owner and county clerk, that qualifies him for the county commissioner post. When O'Grady started as clerk, he said the staff included 240 people and ran on an annual budget of $12-million. Despite the increase in case load, O'Grady said the staff now counts 231 employees and runs on approximately the same budget.
As John says, this is the kind of county-level experience that matters in our Democratic primary.
John also demostrated a firm grasp of the issues that need to be focused on as a Franklin County Commissioner.
O'Grady said another key issue he would address if elected would be the foreclosure rate in Franklin County. O'Grady said 48 percent of the caseload in the county clerk's office deals with foreclosures, and he said the county has seen a 75 percent increase in foreclosures since he took office in 2000. The county government can play a role in fixing the problem by bringing the many parties involved - lenders, banks, realtors and people facing foreclosure - together to find solutions.
In this election, John is the clear choice because he understands the processes we need to create real change in Franklin County.
"Instead of working in a vacuum, we need to bring people to the table," O'Grady said.
