Andrew Ginther
53rd Mayor of Columbus
Assumed office
January 1, 2016
Preceded byMichael B. Coleman
President of Columbus City Council
In office
January 3, 2011 – December 31, 2015
Preceded byMichael Mentel
Succeeded byZach Klein
Personal details
Born
Andrew James Ginther

(1975-04-27) April 27, 1975
Columbus, Ohio, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
SpouseShannon Ginther
Children1
EducationEarlham College (BA)
WebsiteOfficial website

Andrew James Ginther (born April 27, 1975)[1] is an American Democratic politician, the 53rd mayor of Columbus, Ohio, and the 48th person to serve in that office.[2] He previously served as President of Columbus City Council from 2011 until 2015.[3]

Early life and education

Ginther was born at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Ginther's mother was a social worker and his father was an attorney specializing in adoption and foster law. His family lived in Tallmadge, Ohio, later moving to a house on Charleston Avenue in the Clintonville neighborhood of Columbus. Ginther is one of three biological children of the couple, who fostered about 50 children over many years.[4]

After graduation from Whetstone High School, Ginther attended Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, where he earned a BA in Political Science in 1997. As part of Earlham's foreign study program, Ginther traveled to Northern Ireland to study peace and conflict resolution at the University of Ulster and Queen's College. He also taught at public schools in Belfast and Derry. Ginther served internships at the Carter Center in Atlanta, where he taught nonviolence and dispute resolution to children.[1]

Career

Ginther served as a legislative aide to Ohio state Senator Dan Brady.[5] He then served as coordinator of violence prevention programs for the local nonprofit organization Strategies Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE).[6]

2001–2007: Columbus Board of Education

In 1999, Ginther ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Columbus Board of Education. In 2000, Ginther worked for then-City Councilmember Maryellen O'Shaughnessy's congressional campaign for Ohio's 12th congressional district. He worked as the chief fundraiser during her unsuccessful run for Congress.[7][8] In 2001 his second campaign was successful, and he served as a member of the school board for six years, being reelected in 2005. Ginther also worked for 10 years as community outreach coordinator for Triumph Communications, a central Ohio company providing public relations and political campaign management services.[4]

2007–2015: Columbus City Council

In February 2007, Ginther was appointed to the Columbus City Council to fill an unexpired term after the resignation of Matt Habash. He was elected to a new term as a member of City Council in November 2007, was reelected as a member in 2009, and on January 3, 2011 was selected to replace Michael C. Mentel as Council president, becoming the youngest City Council president in the history of Columbus at age 35. In 2011 Ginther accepted a new position as vice president of Community Affairs and Outreach for nonprofit Children's Hunger Alliance.[6] He remained City Council president through the end of 2015.

2016–present: Mayor of Columbus

In March 2015, Ginther and fellow Democrat Zach Scott, the former Franklin County, Ohio Sheriff, were selected in a primary election by Columbus voters to compete in the November 2015 general election to replace retiring Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman (D).[9] In the general election on November 3, 2015, Ginther defeated Scott with 59% of the vote.[2]

In 2019, Ginther was re-elected unopposed as mayor of Columbus. During his State of the City address in February 2020, he announced initiatives to improve the city's Sullivant Avenue corridor in Franklinton and the Hilltop.[10]

Ginther was re-elected for a third term in 2023, defeating independent candidate Joe Motil with 64% of the vote.[11]

Administration and cabinet

The Ginther Cabinet
OFFICE NAME TERM
Mayor Andrew Ginther 2016–present
Chief of Staff Greg Davies 2016–2018
Ken Paul 2018-Present
Director of Development Michael Stevens 2019–present
Director of Public Utilities Tracie Davies 2016–present
Director of Public Service Jennifer L. Gallagher, P.E. 2016–present
Director of Public Safety Robert W. Clark 2021–present
Director of Public Health Teresa Long 2016–2017
Mysheika Roberts 2017–present
Director of Finance & Management Kathy Owens 2022-present
Director of Human Resources Nichole Brandon 2016–present
Director of Technology Sam Orth III 2016–present
Director of Education Rhonda Johnson 2016–2019
Matt Smydo (Interim) 2019-Present
Director of Recreation & Parks Tony Collins 2015–2019
Paul Rakowsky (Interim) 2019-Present
Director of Building & Zoning Services Scott Messer 2016–present
Director of Civil Service Amy DeLong 2016–present
Source:[12][13][14][15][16]

Personal life

Since 2019, Ginther and his family have lived in The Knolls, a subdivision in the northwest side of Columbus.[17]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Parks, Kevin (January 18, 2011). "Ginther Cites Teacher as Inspiration". ThisWeek Community News. Retrieved November 5, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Sullivan, Lucas; Rouan, Rick (November 3, 2015). "Ginther Defeats Scott, Will Succeed Coleman as Columbus Mayor". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Mayor Ginther' s Bio". www.columbus.gov. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
  4. 1 2 Lucas Sullivan. "Candidate profile: Ginther grew up in atmosphere of service". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Profile: Mayor Andrew Ginther". Columbus CEO. January 16, 2017.
  6. 1 2 "City Council Election 2011: Interview with Andrew Ginther". ColumbusUnderground.com. October 20, 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2015.
  7. ↑ "City Council president: Ginther noted as problem solver". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  8. ↑ Clines, Francis X. (October 5, 2000). "THE 2000 CAMPAIGN: AN OHIO RACE; All Politics Are Local, but Look at These Stakes". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  9. ↑ Sullivan, Lucas (May 7, 2015). "Zach Scott Pins Mayoral Hopes on Bigger General-election Turnout". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved November 4, 2015.
  10. ↑ Zachariah, Holly. "Mayor pledges aid for Sullivant Avenue corridor in wake of Dispatch series". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther re-elected to third term". WOSU Public Media. November 7, 2023. Retrieved November 8, 2023.
  12. ↑ Kurtzman, Lori; Zachariah, Holly (November 26, 2015). "Government Insider: Ginther Begins Assembling His Cabinet". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  13. ↑ Sullivan, Lucas (December 29, 2015). "Ginther to Tour Columbus Neighborhoods as Mayor". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved December 30, 2015.
  14. ↑ "Mayor Ginther Appoints Sam Orth III as Director of Technology". www.columbus.gov. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
  15. ↑ "Retired Fire Chief Ned Pettus named Columbus safety director". Columbus Dispatch. July 14, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
  16. ↑ "Cabinet". www.columbus.gov. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
  17. ↑ Burger, Beth. "Protesters stage demonstration in front of Mayor Ginther's house". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved September 26, 2020.
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