Franklin County Commissioner Erica Crawley faces GOP challenger Luis Gil

Franklin County's newest commissioner faces her first election challenge since taking over the seat in 2021.

Commissioner Erica Crawley, a Democrat who served two years in the Ohio House of Representatives before she was chosen by the county Democratic Party to fill a commissioner opening in July 2021, faces Republican challenger Luis Gil in the general election.

Crawley is currently president of the three-member Board of Commissioners. Gil previously ran unsuccessfully against Commissioner John O'Grady in the 2020 general election.

Commissioners are elected to a four-year term and will get paid $118,407 in 2023, according to the Ohio Revised Code.

Born and raised in Youngstown, Crawley's background in public service includes being a veteran of the U.S. Navy and working for Cuyahoga County Job and Family Services and other social service agencies. She replaced former Franklin County Commissioner Marilyn Brown, who retired in May 2021, after the Franklin County Democratic Party Central Committee picked her from a list of five applicants for the position.

Gil, 61, of the Northwest Side, moved to the United States from his native Venezuela when he was 18. He previously served on the Wharton Village Council in Wyandot County. His challenge of O'Grady was his first campaign since moving to Columbus about nine years ago, though he had applied a few times for appointment to vacancies on Columbus City Council.

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The Dispatch gave each candidate five days to complete a questionnaire, limiting them to 100 words for each question. Responses have been edited slightly for clarity.

About the Franklin County commissioner candidates

Erica Crawley (D)

• Age: 41

• Residence: Columbus

• Occupation: County commissioner

• Education: Juris Doctor from Capital University Law School; Master of Public Administration from Walden University; Bachelor of Arts in criminology with a focus on juvenile delinquency from Cleveland State University

• Experience: Member of Women Lawyers of Franklin County and the League of Women Voters, member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., former member of the Ohio House of Representatives, board member for Future Ready Columbus, ex-officio member of the Columbus Zoo & Aquarium, served in the U.S. Navy

Luis Gil (R)

• Age: 61

• Residence: Columbus

• Occupation: Spanish language court translator

• Education: Three years studying mechanical engineering at the University of Toledo

• Experience: Small business owner; previously served on the Wharton Village Council in Wyandot County

Question: Why are you running for office?

Crawley: While watching then-Senator (Barack) Obama accept the Democratic nomination for president, my great-aunt looked at me and asked, “Why not you?” It’s been a guiding question throughout my journey as an elected official. I ran for office because we needed leadership that represented the everyday resident. I’m a single mother to twin girls, a veteran of the United States Navy and I strive to be an advocate for our working families, marginalized populations and all of our neighbors here in Franklin County.

Gil: Having come to this country from Venezuela, I know the impact bad public policy can have on a community. I frequent all areas of Franklin County, from the suburbs of Dublin and Hilliard to the economically struggling areas of Linden, South Linden and Southfield. I see too many areas of our county being left behind, areas with an epidemic of crime, poverty and homelessness that are being all but ignored by county leadership. I’m running to give voice to those areas and bring balance to the Board of Commissioners.

Q: What makes you the better candidate?

Crawley: Extreme division has been on the rise over the years in our politics; political talking points that do not actually address the needs of Franklin County have not boded well electorally, as my opponent knows from his previous attempts at elected office. However, in my first year serving as a Franklin County commissioner, we’ve made key investments in our community, like our historic $23 million investment in expanding early childhood education through the Franklin County RISE program. It’s policies like these, which our office has already enacted and will continue to do, that address the needs of our residents.

Gil: I’ve spent the past two years visiting civic associations, area commissions, churches and numerous community groups in Franklin County, including the NAACP, Amanecer, Stonewall and Somali Independence Day events. I’ve heard many personal stories of challenges, frustrations and also suggestions for improvement, and I will carry them with me in my service to the Board of Commissioners. You can’t sit in an ivory tower and provide effective representation for people who have none. I’ve been on the streets. I’ve seen and talked with the homeless and the hungry. Franklin County’s prosperity is not reaching them. We can do better.

Q: What are the top two issues you would face in office, and how would you address them?

Crawley: First, affordable housing: Franklin County had a goal of having 2,000 affordable housing units by 2030, which we’ve already hit. However, we know we are not where we need to be. We’re working to increase awareness of our Magnet Fund program, which provides gap funding to develop more affordable housing units that were granted tax credits. Secondly, job opportunity: In my first year on the Board of Commissioners, we’ve expanded key workforce development programs (i.e. Building Futures, Driving Futures; Roads2Work; Tech Women of Color, etc.) and plan to continue building on these programs for our residents.

Gil: The top two issues are crime and poverty. Regarding crime, enhancing police presence is only going to get us so far. We need to start addressing the root causes of crime in Columbus and surrounding areas. We need to intervene to prevent criminals from ever choosing to become criminals, and that means investment in early childhood education, before school and after school programming and quality child care so parents can work. Regarding poverty, I want to empower citizens and that starts with affordable, citizen-centric housing that meets the needs of each individual community.

Advance voting, including absentee voting and early in-person voting, began Wednesday, and the election is set for Nov. 8.

nshuda@dispatch.com

@NathanielShuda

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Franklin County Commissioner Erica Crawley opposed by Luis Gil