Mayor Andrew J. Ginther is
serving his second term as the 53rd mayor of the City of Columbus, Ohio. He
previously served on Columbus City Council from 2007-15, and was president of
Council from 2011 until assuming the Office of the Mayor on January 1, 2016.
Under his leadership, Columbus has been named “America’s
Opportunity City” while setting new records for job creation and population
growth.
Mayor Ginther is uniquely
committed to working with community, business, and faith and labor leaders to
promote equitable opportunities for every Columbus resident. Signature
initiatives include launching the Comprehensive Neighborhood Safety Strategy to
reduce violent crime while realizing the most significant policing reforms in
city history, such as civilian oversight of police and deploying body-worn
camera technology; reducing infant mortality; expanding universal pre-kindergarten;
creating the city’s first-ever Office of Diversity and Inclusion and appointing
the city’s most diverse mayoral leadership cabinet; forming the Columbus Women’s
Commission to advance the well-being of women in the workplace; and establishing
the Department of Neighborhoods to lead community-driven investments for
revitalization.
Acknowledging mobility as the great equalizer,
Mayor Ginther is working to provide reliable, consistent transportation options
so that all Columbus residents have convenient, equitable access to jobs,
education and health care. During his first year in office, the city was
awarded the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Smart City Challenge Grant,
making Columbus America’s “Smart City.”
A proud graduate of Columbus City Schools, Mayor
Ginther was originally elected to the Columbus Board of Education in 2001 and
re-elected in 2005 before joining Council. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Earlham College,
studied abroad at the University of Ulster and Queen’s College in Northern
Ireland, and taught at public schools in Belfast and Derry. He also completed
consecutive internships at the Carter Presidential Center in Atlanta, where he
taught non-violence and dispute resolution.
Mayor Ginther, his wife – Shannon – and their
daughter live in Columbus.