On March 3, 2025 the Franklin County Board of Elections heard the residency challenge of Columbus City Council candidate Tiara Ross. The candidate protest was filed by Columbus resident and social media political blogger (The Rooster) D.J. Byrnes.
While under oath, Ms. Ross was asked by Board member Meredith Freedhoff “Is your driver’s license suspended?” Ms. Ross replied “I am unaware of it being suspended.” When further questioned by board members about her license being suspended and also her registration having expired, Ms. Ross stated, “I would have to double check on these records. I don’t know if it was something I missed like a notice I missed in the mail, all of that had to be changed when I moved so it’s certainly something I can follow up with.” (see attached video of hearing).
Mr. Byrnes made a records request to the BMV of Ms. Ross’s license which showed that her license had been suspended (see attached). Further evidenced showed that her registration had also expired. The registration sticker on her vehicles license plate while in the parking lot of the Board of Elections was dated September 2024.
After the Board of Elections hearing, it was reported with evidence by Mr. Byrnes (see attached The Rooster March 4, 2025 Tiara Ross owes $3,795 in unpaid fines) that Ms. Ross had piled up $3,795 in unpaid traffic violations. That information was discovered on the City of Columbus Citation web site. Ms. Ross’s license and registration had been suspended due to nearly $4,000 in unpaid traffic violations dating back to August 15, 2022.
As an attorney who has been employed by the City of Columbus Attorney’s office for seven years and who earns $137,000 per year, she certainly had the financial means to pay her tickets. She earned her most recent ticket on February 23, 2025, for a “failure to register” her vehicle. Yet while under oath, Ms. Ross denied whether or not her registration was up to date. And do you mean to tell me that City Attorney Zach Klein and his office was not privy to Ms. Ross’s driving record? Traffic violations fall under the purview of Attorney Zach Klein’s office. And why wasn’t Tiara Ross’s vehicle ever towed and impounded (See attached city code)?
As an attorney, Ms. Ross has a record of flouting traffic laws on a regular basis. With such a record, what can the citizens of Columbus expect from someone who wants to represent the quality of life of nearly 1 million people as a City Councilwoman? Truth? Honesty? Accountability? Transparency?
https://columbus.citationinfo.com/CitationMultipleResults.aspx
