Andrew James Ginther Bio
Andrew James Ginther (born April 27, 1975) is an American politician serving as the 53rd mayor of Columbus, Ohio. A member of the Democratic Party, he has held elected office in the city for more than two decades, first on the Columbus Board of Education and later on the Columbus City Council before becoming mayor in 2016. In 2024, he was elected president of the United States Conference of Mayors, expanding his influence beyond the city of Columbus to the national stage of municipal leadership.
Across his career, Andrew James Ginther has been closely associated with neighborhood safety, climate action, and gun violence prevention. He has also overseen major policy initiatives, including a long-term Climate Action Plan and significant investments in cybersecurity and affordable housing.
Early Life and Background
Andrew James Ginther was born at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. His mother worked as a social worker, and his father was an attorney specializing in adoption and foster law. The family lived in Tallmadge, Ohio before relocating 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.
He graduated from Whetstone High School and went on to attend Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1997. As part of Earlham’s foreign study program, he traveled to Northern Ireland, where he studied peace and conflict resolution at the University of Ulster and Queen’s College. He also taught at public schools in Belfast and Derry and completed an internship at the Carter Center in Atlanta, where he taught nonviolence and dispute resolution to children.
Path to US Politics
Andrew James Ginther’s entry into civic life began with a legislative aide role to Ohio state Senator Dan Brady, followed by work as coordinator of violence prevention programs for the local nonprofit Strategies Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE). These positions gave him early exposure to the inner workings of state policy and community-based violence prevention, shaping his long-term interest in safer neighborhoods.
In 1999, Ginther ran unsuccessfully for a seat on the Columbus Board of Education. He then worked as the chief fundraiser for City Councilmember Maryellen O’Shaughnessy’s unsuccessful 2000 congressional campaign for Ohio’s 12th congressional district. In 2001, his second campaign for the school board was successful, beginning a steady rise through local elected office and laying the foundation for his later career in Columbus municipal government.
Andrew James Ginther Career
Early Career (2001–2015)
In 2001, Andrew James Ginther was elected to the Columbus Board of Education, beginning a six-year tenure during which he was reelected in 2005. He also worked for 10 years as a community outreach coordinator for Triumph Communications, a central Ohio firm that provided public relations and political campaign management services.
In February 2007, Ginther was appointed to the Columbus City Council to fill an unexpired term following the resignation of Matt Habash. He was elected to a new term later that year, reelected in 2009, and on January 3, 2011, was selected to replace Michael C. Mentel as Council president. At 35, he became the youngest City Council president in Columbus history and held that role through the end of 2015.
2015 Mayoral Election Breakthrough
In March 2015, Andrew James Ginther and fellow Democrat Zach Scott, the former Franklin County Sheriff, were selected in a primary election to compete in the November 2015 general election to replace retiring Mayor Michael B. Coleman. Endorsed by Coleman, Ginther was viewed as the projected frontrunner but faced controversy tied to the Redflex Traffic Systems bribery case, in which he was not personally implicated.
Ginther set a previous record for fundraising and spending during the campaign by raising $3 million. In the general election on November 3, 2015, he defeated Scott with 59 percent of the vote, formally launching the Andrew James Ginther era in the office of mayor of Columbus, Ohio.
Mayor of Columbus Era (2016–Present)
Andrew James Ginther took office as the 53rd mayor of Columbus in 2016 and was reelected unopposed in 2019. In his February 2020 State of the City address, he announced initiatives to improve the Sullivant Avenue corridor in Franklinton and the Hilltop, signaling continued investment in underserved neighborhoods.
Running for a third term in 2023, he was opposed by independent Joe Motil. Ginther campaigned on his prior accomplishments, while Motil criticized his leadership on the housing crisis and rising crime. Ginther won with 64 percent of the vote. In 2024, he was elected as the 82nd president of the United States Conference of Mayors, succeeding Hillary Schieve.
During his tenure, Ginther has guided a 2021 Climate Action Plan that targets a 45 percent cut in greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 and full carbon neutrality by 2050, including 2 gigawatts of commercial on-site solar generation and the electrification of city vehicles. He has also pushed gun safety legislation, including a 2022 Columbus City Council measure banning high-capacity magazines, penalizing unsafe storage, and outlawing straw purchases.
Notable Events and Milestones
A defining moment of Andrew James Ginther’s tenure came in July 2024, when a citywide cyberattack in Columbus led to the release of private information belonging to hundreds of thousands of residents on the dark web and triggered multiple class-action lawsuits. Ginther publicly noted that most of the stolen data was unusable and disclosed that the city has spent $12 million on cybersecurity, with plans for further investment. In November 2024, he proposed a $1.23 billion general fund budget for 2025, with $774 million directed to neighborhood safety.
Andrew James Ginther Career Wins
Andrew James Ginther’s career wins span school board, city council, and mayoral elections in Columbus, Ohio, reflecting steady electoral success since 2001.
Columbus Mayoral Highlights
He first won the mayoralty in 2015 with 59 percent of the vote, was reelected unopposed in 2019, and secured a third term in 2023 with 64 percent of the vote against Joe Motil. He also became the 82nd president of the United States Conference of Mayors in 2024.
Other Wins & Achievements
Before becoming mayor, Andrew James Ginther won election to the Columbus Board of Education in 2001 and 2005, secured a Columbus City Council seat in 2007, and was reelected in 2009 before being selected Council president in 2011, becoming the youngest person to hold that role in city history.
Andrew James Ginther Family
Family Background and Public Service Lineage
Andrew James Ginther is one of three biological children of a social worker and an attorney who specialized in adoption and foster law. The couple fostered about 50 children over many years, an upbringing that shaped his early interest in community service and violence prevention.
Personal Life
Andrew James Ginther is married to Shannon Ginther. Since 2019, the family has lived in The Knolls, a subdivision on the northwest side of Columbus, Ohio.