Andrew James Ginther (born April 27, 1975) is an American Democratic politician, the 53rd mayor of

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

, and the 48th person to serve in that office. He served as President of

Columbus City Council The Columbus City Council is the lawmaking body of Columbus, Ohio. It has 7 members who are elected at-large. It meets in the City Council Chambers located on the second floor of Columbus City Hall. Starting in the 2023 election, City Council ...

from 2011 until 2015.

Early life and education

Ginther was born at Riverside Hospital in Columbus, the third of four children. Ginther's mother was a social worker and his father was an attorney specializing in adoption and foster law. His family lived in the Clintonville neighborhood of Columbus. After graduation from Whetstone High School, Ginther attended

Earlham College Earlham College is a private liberal arts college in Richmond, Indiana. The college was established in 1847 by the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and has a strong focus on Quaker values such as integrity, a commitment to peace and social ...

Richmond, Indiana Richmond is a city in eastern Wayne County, Indiana. Bordering the state of Ohio, it is the county seat of Wayne County and is part of the Dayton, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area In the 2010 census, the city had a population of 36,812. Situ ...

, where he earned a BA in

Political Science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...

in 1997. As part of Earlham's foreign study program, Ginther traveled to

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label=Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is #Descriptions, variously described as ...

to study peace and conflict resolution at the

University of Ulster sco, Ulstèr Universitie , image = Ulster University coat of arms.png , caption = , motto_lang = , mottoeng = , latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae , established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...

and Queen's College. He also taught at public schools in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

and

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

. Ginther served internships at the

Carter Center The Carter Center is a nongovernmental, not-for-profit organization founded in 1982 by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. He and his wife Rosalynn Carter partnered with Emory University just after his defeat in the 1980 United States presid ...

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,7 ...

, where he taught nonviolence and dispute resolution to children.

Career

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

20012007: 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 . He worked as the chief fundraiser during her unsuccessful run for Congress. 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.

20072015: 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. He remained City Council president through the end of 2015.

2016present: Mayor of Columbus

In March 2015, Ginther and fellow Democrat Zach Scott, the former

Franklin County, Ohio Franklin County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,323,807, making it the most populous county in Ohio. Most of its land area is taken up by its county seat, Columbus, the state capital and most ...

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

, were selected in a

primary election Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the ...

by Columbus voters to compete in the November 2015

general election A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

to replace retiring Columbus Mayor

Michael B. Coleman Michael B. Coleman (born November 18, 1954) is an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as the 52nd mayor of Columbus, Ohio. He was the first African-American to serve as the mayor of Ohio's capital city. Coleman was a memb ...

(D). In the general election on November 3, 2015, Ginther defeated Scott with 59% of the vote. In 2019, Ginther was reelected unopposed as mayor of Columbus. During his

State of the City address The State of the City Address - or State of the City Speech - is a speech customarily given once each year by the mayors or city managers of many cities in the United States and Canada, and commonly called as State of the City Address (SOCA) ...

in February 2020, he announced initiatives to improve the city's Sullivant Avenue corridor in Franklinton and the Hilltop.

Administration and cabinet

Personal life

Mayor Ginther and his family live in The Knolls, a subdivision in the northwest side of Columbus. The family moved there in August 2019.

References

External links

Mayor's Office, City of Columbus Web site

Ginther's campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ginther, Andrew 1975 births 21st-century American politicians Columbus City Council members Earlham College alumni Living people Mayors of Columbus, Ohio Ohio Democrats Politicians from Columbus, Ohio School board members in Ohio