Latest news with #AndrewJ.Ginther
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther will seek a fourth term in 2027, campaign says
Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther intends to run for a fourth term in 2027, according to his campaign. Ginther is hosting a campaign fundraiser with a minimum suggested contribution of $2,500 on June 5 at The Citizen Trust, a cocktail lounge inside an historic bank building on Gay Street. Gen Murphy, the finance director for Ginther's campaign, told The Dispatch on May 27 that Ginther intends to run again. He typically holds a couple of fundraisers a year, and the forthcoming event is nothing unusual, she said. If Ginther wins reelection and completes a fourth four-year term, he will be tied with his predecessor, Mayor Michael B. Coleman, for the longest-serving Columbus mayor. In 2023, Ginther won reelection handily against a low-budget challenge from local activist Joe Motil. Ginther won about 64% of the vote to Motil's 36%. Some of Ginther's fellow Democrats are waiting for Ginther to vacate the city's top leadership role so they can run. Some may not wait. City Attorney Zach Klein has been outspoken in recent years, and he's aggressively fundraised, leading to speculation he's setting himself up for a mayoral run in 2027. Klein has raised about $870,000 to run unopposed this November for reelection to city attorney, according to his most recent campaign finance report. Ginther's campaign had about $300,000 in April, according to his most recent campaign finance report. Ginther will soon also be campaigning for his $1.9-billion bond package that he's asking voters to approve in November to fund more affordable housing, police and fire stations, roads, parks and other infrastructure. Government and politics reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@ Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther to seek fourth term in 2027
Yahoo
08-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
See the Columbus power brokers tasked with setting city and county spending priorities
Meet the local leaders who will weigh in on how Columbus and Franklin County governments fund a broad range of important things, including human services, the arts, and tourism. Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, City Council President Shannon G. Hardin and Franklin County Board of Commissioners President Erica C. Crawley announced the launch of the Funding Review Advisory Committee on Tuesday. According to the announcement, over the rest of this year, the committee will assess funding trends; evaluate current and potential tax revenue sources; assess revenue utilization; recommend sustainability strategies; and identify opportunities for improvement. More: Columbus' new titans: The 10 people making a difference in central Ohio Ginther appointed 15 individuals to the new committee in collaboration with Hardin and Crawley. According to the announcement from the mayor's office, the committee "is composed of a balanced and diverse group of community leaders who have a deep understanding of the local human services, cultural arts and travel and tourism sectors." The committee will hold its first meeting on Thursday at 3 p.m. at 141 N. Front St. Members of the public may attend public portions of the committee's meetings. The committee members are: Sandy Doyle-Ahern, President of EMH&T (Committee Chair) Trudy Bartley, Associate Vice President for Local and Community Relations at The Ohio State University Office of Government Affairs Barbara Benham, Executive Vice President and Chief Public Affairs Officer at Huntington National Bank Darnita Bradley, Senior Manager of Local Government Affairs & Engagement at JobsOhio Tanny Crane, President & CEO of Crane Group Janelle Coleman, Vice President of Corporate Philanthropy and Community Engagement at American Electric Power and President of the American Electric Power Foundation Luke Fedlam, Partner at Amundsen Davis Jason Hall, CEO of the Columbus Partnership Traci Martinez, Managing Partner at Squire Patton Boggs Karen Morrison, Senior Vice President at OhioHealth and President of the OhioHealth Foundation Matt Scantland, CEO of AndHealth Jamie Shumaker, Executive Director of the Central Ohio Labor Council, AFL-CIO Janica Pierce Tucker, Partner-In-Charge of Taft Columbus Doug Ulman, Board Vice Chair at Pelotonia Michael Young, Lead Pastor of City of Grace Church More city hall news: Apartments for homeless residents planned at former Camp Shameless in Columbus This is the second time the city and county have convened a committee like this. The last time was in 2011. 'As Columbus continues to grow and evolve, it is essential that our funding strategies keep pace with the changing needs of our community, especially in a post-COVID economy,' said Doyle-Ahern, committee chair, in the press announcement. 'This Committee is dedicated to fostering innovation, collaboration and thoughtful solutions to ensure that essential community services are supported sustainably and equitably. We look forward to working together to develop recommendations that will serve our community's diverse and dynamic needs.' Government and Politics Reporter Jordan Laird can be reached at jlaird@ Follow her on X, Instagram and Bluesky at @LairdWrites. This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus taps committee of power brokers to advise on public spending
USA Today
11-02-2025
- Business
- USA Today
Columbus City Council passes $1.23-billion budget, adds funds for shelters and more
Columbus City Council passes $1.23-billion budget, adds funds for shelters and more Show Caption Hide Caption Top headlines of the week, Feb. 7 2025 Here are some stories you may have missed on and in the Columbus Dispatch newspaper. Columbus City Council has approved a $1.23-billion budget for 2025 on Monday which is largely similar to Mayor Andrew J. Ginther's proposed budget — except for an additional $11.6 million in amendments. Council unanimously voted 8-0 to approve the general fund budget. It was Council member Otto Beatty III's first meeting since his appointment and first major vote. Council member Chris Wyche was absent. Among the Council's amendments are an additional $5 million to the Community Shelter Board for homeless shelters, $2 million for the Columbus Promise and $500,000 for civil rights and immigration initiatives. "This was a tight budget," said Council member Nick Bankston, chair of the Finance Committee. "It was also about prioritizing what we thought was important and necessary for our community, in particular for the Community Shelter Board, nearly doubling their funding." The council added the following to the mayor's budget: Increasing the Community Shelter Board's allocation from $5.7 million to $10.7 million $2 million for the Columbus Promise, a program that sends Columbus City Schools graduates to Columbus State Community College for free. $1.23 million for Council community support $166,000 for the South Side Collaborative Parsons Outreach Program $400,000 for housing, zoning and transit-oriented development initiatives $200,000 for workforce development grants $420,000 for small and minority business initiatives $500,000 for civil rights and immigration initiatives $500,000 for Cleaner Columbus and Project Taillight $500,000 for several human services gaps in the community $500,000 for extreme weather and sustainability initiatives $180,000 for veterans and senior support Council member Lourdes Barroso de Padilla said part of the money set aside for immigration initiatives could be used to help local refugee resettlement organizations if President Donald Trump's administration suddenly cuts off funding. But the fund is less than the city has set aside for immigration initiatives in previous years. The majority of the city's budget, $774 million, will go to the Department of Public Safety, which includes police, fire and support services. The figure is a 3% increase from last year's budget and will fund three new police recruit classes. jlaird@ @LairdWrites
