COLUMBUS, Ohio — Franklin County Commissioner Erica Crawley isn’t backing down. During the county commissioners’ Oct. 6 meeting, Crawley criticized how the Columbus Department of the Inspector General handled her complaint about Columbus police officers’ conduct toward her and her guests — multiple Black women — at a July 2 Post Malone concert for veterans.
Crawley, a Navy veteran, said using the IG process shouldn’t put her own actions “under a microscope,” calling that concern “bigger than me.” The county helped pay $250,000 toward the concert, which included 6,000 free tickets for veterans; Crawley accepted VIP tickets.
The Columbus Dispatch reported the inspector general’s office was preparing to refer her ticket acceptance to the Ohio Ethics Commission for investigation into whether state ethics law was violated. Reached Oct. 6, Columbus Inspector General Jacqueline Hendricks declined to comment on the open investigation, though she previously confirmed the referral plan.
No timeline for the ethics referral has been announced. Crawley has framed her stand as one of principle: accountability, she says, should cut both ways.
The standoff continues between the commissioner and the city’s watchdog office — with the Post Malone concert, the VIP tickets and a complaint about how police treated a veteran commissioner all under the same public spotlight.