Lori Kurtzman & Holly ZachariahThe Columbus Dispatch  •  Thursday September 3, 2015 6:03 AM.

Scott, who is running for mayor against fellow Democrat and City Council President Andrew J. Ginther, said the city needs to research “the amount lost in fees and administrative costs” to figure out what it could request in damages from the company, according to a statement from his campaign.

Dispatch City Hall Reporter Lucas Sullivan tells us that some of Columbus’ issues with Redflex are similar to Chicago’s; that city has sued the company for more than $300 million.

Former Redflex CEO Karen Finley was part of a $2 million bribery scheme in Chicago, along with the company’s then-top salesman, Aaron Rosenberg. Finley has pleaded guilty to bribery in Chicago and here in Columbus, and Rosenberg was also involved in Columbus’ contracts.

But there are differences as well.

Finley has said the bribes in Columbus came in the form of campaign contributions that she funneled to elected officials through lobbyist John Raphael. In Chicago, the bribes were mostly handed under the table.

Also, federal prosecutors say Chicago expanded its program to more than 300 cameras while a city official handling it was taking kickbacks. Columbus had 40 red-light cameras at the height of its program and balked at Redflex’s attempts to install speed-enforcement cameras.

Chicago’s lawsuit also comes after a federal investigation that began more than three years ago resulted in indictments of two other people, including a former city official. The federal investigation in Columbus is just months old, and only Finley has been charged with a crime.

When reached this week, Columbus City Attorney Richard C. Pfeiffer Jr. said he was not aware of the Chicago lawsuit but would review news reports about it.

•    •    •