The City of Columbus has announced it has ended its contract with red light camera company Redflex in the wake of a bribery investigation.
A statement from the City says Council President Andrew Ginther asked City Attorney Richard Pfeiffer to examine the way the City handled the contracting of the photo red light program, as well as whether the City has the ability to terminate the contract.
The City Attorney concluded the City acted appropriately with the photo red light program. Additionally, the City Attorney has advised the Mayor that the City has the contract authority to terminate the Redflex contract.
This comes after former Redflex CEO Karen Finley pleaded guilty last month to bribing Columbus public officials. Finley's attorney Michael D. Kimerer said before she became the head of Redflex, it was company policy to use campaign contributions as a way to secure contracts.
However, both Ginther and Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman denied involvement in the alleged bribes.
On Wednesday, Coleman released the following statement on the termination of the contract, "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 a separate statement, Ginther said, in part, "Redflex clearly had a culture of doing things that were inappropriate, improper and, in some cases, illegal. As a result, I support Mayor Coleman's decision to end the city's contract with Redflex and believe that action is in the best interest of the people of Columbus."
Meantime, all red light cameras across the city remain off due to state legislation.
A spokesman from Redflex told 10TV on Wednesday “Redflex makes a life-saving difference in the communities we serve. Several years ago, after a small number of employees and consultants violated company policies, we took strong corrective action. Local governments continue to engage our company and we intend to lead the industry in how public-private partnerships are managed.”
