America’s Mayors Speak Up

 

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Executive Producers: David Martin, David Snyder, Jim Ludlow
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Transcription

David Martin: This is the good government show.

Andrew Ginther: The future of America runs through America’s cities, and housing is absolutely critical for us to remain competitive, and grow jobs at the same time. We want to make sure that there are more options, and we want to make sure that, you know, whether you’re on foot, on a bike, on a bus, or in a car, that you’re safe and that you have access, to all the things that you need to, to make your life better.

The best job in America is being mayor. And I intend to do it as long as my wife, daughter, and the people of Columbia support me doing it. That’s the beauty of good government. It can always get better. It can always get better. And if we are committed to continuous improvement, that’s what we ought to be about.

A wise woman once told me, people don’t fear change. They fear a loss.

David Martin: The Conference of Mayors unites mayors around the nation to advocate for cities, and to work together to get cities and the people who live there, the assistance they need. I got to sit down with Andy Ginther, the mayor of Columbus, Ohio, and the current president of the Conference of Mayors. Welcome to the Good Government Show. I’m your host, Dave Martin.

First, help us share the message of good government by liking us and showing us where we are on Facebook, Instagram and Blue Sky and always share our show with your friends. Let’s get everyone excited about good government. So Andy Ginther is wrapping up his year as president of the Conference of Mayors. I talked to him back when he was just getting started.

We talked about housing, a number one issue for him in his term as president. It’s an issue many cities are dealing with, and he wanted to make sure it was an issue that all cities got a chance to work on together. Needless to say, it’s been a busy year in government as we’re dealing with the federal government’s ever changing tariff policy.

The Conference of Mayors put out a statement and I want to read what Americans are said. He said, quote, when tariffs go up, prices go up and businesses stop growing, which puts more pressure on the cost of living for our residents. America’s mayors are calling for a trade policy that protects our businesses, workers and families. He and the conference also spoke out to support a bipartisan Senate group that supported free trade with Canada, saying current policy sparked a trade war with our closest ally.

The Conference of Mayors also called on Congress to assist with grants to convert unused property to housing units and increase tax credits for more new home construction. Clearly a busy year as president. Mayor Gardner said Columbus is one of the fastest growing cities in the US. We discussed housing programs in the city and transportation programs and transportation alternatives.

There’s a lot going on in Columbus and with America’s mayors. So join me as we hear how the mayors are working together for all of us. That’s coming up after this.

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Welcome to the Good Government show. We have a special guest, the, current vice president, soon to be president of the Conference of Mayors and the mayor of Columbus, Ohio. Mayor Andy Ginter, welcome.

Andrew Ginther: Thank you. Thanks so much for having me.

David Martin: Well, thanks for being here. And we’re here at the Conference of Mayors conference, and you’re about to take the top job. Looking forward to it. What do you what? What are you most excited about or what are you most nervous about?

Andrew Ginther: Well, what I’m really excited about is being here in Kansas City. Mayor Quinton Lucas has done a phenomenal job hosting this. I know how much work it is because.

David Martin: Yes, we.

Andrew Ginther: Hosted this event last year in Columbus. And Mayor Lucas has done a phenomenal job and thrilled to be, here in the middle of America, in Kansas City and excited about the year ahead. I mean, president TV has done an incredible job leading this conference over the last year. So really want to kind of build upon some of the great work she’s done.

Work closely with, David Holt. He’s currently the second vice president, and he’ll become vice president this weekend as well. The mayor of Oklahoma City. We just did, you know, a podcast on bipartisanship and why mayors, matter more, now in American history than any other time. Okay. And so excited about the year ahead.

Excited about pushing, the U.S. conference of Mayors agenda, with both nominees that are running, for president. Really wanting to work with him to develop a marshall plan for housing. Housing is the number one issue facing so many American cities. For us in Columbus, it’s the supply crisis. We haven’t had nearly enough housing units in the pipeline and coming to market over the last 10 or 15 years.

And and it.

David Martin: Housing at all levels.

Andrew Ginther: For housing at all levels, market rate, housing, workforce, housing, affordable housing. We need all of the above, and we need the federal government to recognize housing is infrastructure and step up and invest in it, so that our cities can continue to grow and thrive.

David Martin: I and our listeners are about to learn something. Is housing not infrastructure?

Andrew Ginther: It isn’t necessarily considered infrastructure by the federal government. Okay. And we believe that housing is absolutely critical. Over 50% of the population lives in cities today. By 2050, over 70%. American cities and our metro economies contribute over 90% of the nation’s GDP. The future of America runs through America’s cities. And housing is absolutely critical for us to remain competitive, and grow jobs at the same time.

David Martin: I know that Mayor Ashby’s push was for mental health, support and awareness.

Andrew Ginther: And we’re going to continue to build upon that. That’s a critical issue, particularly amongst young people, seniors, folks from all walks of life. We believe that the federal government has a role to play in investing in mental health. She’s done an incredible job both sharing her personal story, and leveraging her professional advocacy to put this issue top of mind, front and center nationally.

Right. And we want to continue to build on that.

David Martin: And will housing be sort of your thrust?

Andrew Ginther: Yeah. Housing, mental health, safety, transit. There are a whole number of issues that are part of our agenda, but housing is going to be a top priority for me. It’s the number one issue, in my community, in central Ohio. And it’s one that’s facing so many cities around America.

David Martin: I have been to Columbus once. I was there.

Andrew Ginther: I’m thrilled to have you back. Anytime.

David Martin: Well. Thank you. We’ll get to that in the next.

Andrew Ginther: When were you there?

David Martin: When was I there? When was I there? When? Mr.. There it was to, it was, during the, I don’t know, three presidential elections ago. I guess it was a close vote there. Yeah. What’s the best steakhouse example?

Andrew Ginther: I used to be much more, competitive than it has been currently.

David Martin: Okay. So, yes, that was my one trip to Columbus. I know Ohio State football, of course. Sure. And, Yankee fan. They used to be the home of the Columbus Crew.

Andrew Ginther: Absolutely. Who’s taking.

David Martin: Over? Who’s taking over for your minor league team now?

Andrew Ginther: We’re now affiliated with the Guardians, which is, really great. To have such a close connection with Cleveland in Columbus. And it’s still one of the best places to watch baseball in all of America. They’re at Huntington Ballpark. A great place. Family friendly, affordable. Right in the middle of the city. And it’s one of my favorite ballparks in the country.

David Martin: You’re the mayor. Have you got to throw out the first pitch?

Andrew Ginther: I don’t think they’ve seen my arm. They they made it in May. Force me to throw underhanded,

David Martin: You know, whatever it takes, I’m sure William Howard Taft, where he threw out the first pitch to throw a strike. Yeah. You’ll be good coverage. Want to talk a little bit about Columbus? I understand you have a a transportation program you’re working on called, link us. Can you tell us a little bit about that? Yeah, that sounds like a good project.

Andrew Ginther: It’s a really exciting and transformational project. For us, that’s going to impact the entire region. Not only bus rapid transit, but transit supportive infrastructure or transit oriented development. The issue will be on the ballot on November 5th. And so we’re working together with the entire region, our transit authority, our regional planning commission, suburban governments and mayors, the Ohio State University, so many great partners, the Urban League, the affordable housing Trust.

And it really is a great opportunity. So we have to generate local match, but it’s a great opportunity to take advantage of the bipartisan infrastructure law. Okay. We’ll be able to draw down about 1 billion of the $8 billion of this project from that bipartisan infrastructure law. So great opportunity to get Columbus residents federal tax money back into the city and investing in transit and mobility options for seniors, for folks with disabilities, for young people to access education, jobs, health care, all of the things that are so important.

David Martin: Will have the side benefit of taking a few cars off the road, too.

Andrew Ginther: Absolutely. 80% of the vehicles in Columbus. So are we rolling around central Ohio with one person in them? That’s not very sustainable for a region of over 2 million. We’re going to grow by a third over the next 30 years. So that’s why we’re rewriting our zoning code for the first time in 70 years. It’s why we need to dramatically increase the amount of housing, but also have transit options and having, you know, a transit network that will accommodate that type of growth.

David Martin: Is there a call for more transit, more, more public transportation?

Andrew Ginther: Absolutely. And we want to make sure that there are more options. And we want to make sure that, you know, whether you’re on foot, on bike, on a bus, or in a car, that you’re safe and that you have access, to all the things that you need to to make your life better.

David Martin: Well, I live in New York City, and I do ride a bike around New York City a lot. Are you are you installing bike lanes? Is that something.

Andrew Ginther: You’re looking for? Yeah. Having dedicated bike lanes is going to be critically important. Having conventional.

David Martin: Barriers with helmet bike riders.

Andrew Ginther: Absolutely. Particularly in the Midwest. I mean, is a, you know, it is still a pretty car centric place. And so we know that protected bike lanes are critically important. Connecting all the bike trails that we have in different parts of the region. So this issue will have benefits for sidewalks, bike trails, connectivity in every jurisdiction in central Ohio.

So regardless of where you live in central Ohio, you’re going to benefit, from this issue passing.

David Martin: You talked a little bit about zoning. How does that fit into the program?

Andrew Ginther: Well, zoning is critically important. We haven’t updated our zoning code in 70 years. Columbus was so Columbus was about 300,000 people then. We’re at a million now, and we’re going to grow by a third more.

David Martin: So, sure.

Andrew Ginther: Things have changed dramatically. So rewriting the zoning code is not easy. I mean, there’s a reason no other mayor has taken this on in the last 70 years.

David Martin: Because you just tried.

Andrew Ginther: Yeah. You got to deal with issues, you know? You know what a wise woman once told me? People don’t fear change. They fear a loss. And so we need to have them understand that this.

David Martin: Is a nice change. They want it the way it was.

Andrew Ginther: And people fear things that, are different than what they know. And so our job as leaders is to help educate and engage and help them understand that sprawl is not a strategy. And sprawl has really kind of been leading our growth and development, I would argue, for the last 30 or 40 years. But by updating this zoning code, embracing height and density, especially in these link US corridors, these five corridors that we’re sanctuary, that are part of the transit.

You can see how all this goes hand in hand, because we know the number one contributor, to affordability is density. And having these transit corridors rewriting the zoning code, we think the current code would allow some of these corridors to add about 6000 new units. Over the next ten years.

David Martin: And with the new.

Andrew Ginther: Code.

David Martin: Right.

Andrew Ginther: 88,000 new units, almost half of what we need in the whole region.

David Martin: And with that and with those will come shops, restaurants.

Andrew Ginther: And that’s what that’s why the transit oriented development is so important. And the transit supportive infrastructure, it’s not just about putting in the transit. It’s about changing the zoning code. Having, you know, transit, supportive infrastructure, transit oriented development all together. That’s where you get this transformational project to make sure that we grow in a dynamic but an inclusive way into the future.

David Martin: Have you looked at other forms of transportation? A metro rail?

Andrew Ginther: Absolutely. Stuff like.

David Martin: That. Practical? Yeah.

Andrew Ginther: Not at this point, because we don’t have the density of population in our city. We wouldn’t be eligible for funds the way that that’s how the formulas are put together. The federal government. Now, I do believe that, you know, streetcars.

David Martin: Train with the federal government.

Andrew Ginther: You know, those are things we can continue to work on. But as the rules are written now and as the form is written, bus rapid transit is the best option for us. But again, as we rewrite the zoning code, these transit corridors take place. That density grows over time. I don’t think bus rapid transit is the end all be all for Columbus.

I believe it’s the next step. And there are other transit options, particularly over the next 30, 50, 70 years, that I think will help complement this. As our density continues to grow and our city continues to grow.

David Martin: I live in New York again, the Northeast Corridor, Amtrak’s busiest area. Are there are there is there train service in Columbus and other major Ohio cities?

Andrew Ginther: That’s not yet. It’s in the works. And, we’re really excited. I just talked to somebody from Amtrak earlier this morning. We’ve got our governor on board with us, as well. That’s a critically important part. The former governor was not supportive and helpful. And so that’s critically important. We’ve got the entire region working together. We got multiple cities working together.

To expand Amtrak service to Ohio, central Ohio in particular. So we’re excited about it.

David Martin: Have you jumped on the bus a few times yourself?

Andrew Ginther: Absolutely. You know, especially when my daughter was younger, one of her favorite songs was wheels on the bus, and we rode the bus all over town. Yeah.

David Martin: Yeah.

Andrew Ginther: Yeah, we had a daughter.

David Martin: That was great.

Andrew Ginther: Many times. Yeah, yeah, I could, I probably could recite that in my sleep now. Yeah, sure. But she’s 13 now, so, you know, we’re teaching her, you know, how to ride the bus on her own now?

David Martin: I could recite that light if you. If you want to call your daughter.

How did you get started in government? But what was your. What’s your background? Well, what?

Andrew Ginther: So, my parents were foster parents. My mom was social worker by training. My dad was an attorney in private practice, so they worked with a lot of foster parents, adoptive parents. My older sisters adopted, and then my parents fostered, on and off for about 30 years. They had about 47 kids come through our house growing up, not all at same time.

And, that’s a lot.

David Martin: Some half brothers and sisters.

Andrew Ginther: So. But it was great because it exposed me to, you know, the differences in our community.

David Martin: And your house is different.

Andrew Ginther: What’s that? Yeah.

David Martin: Your house was never quiet.

Andrew Ginther: Never quiet. And, but it really exposed to me to, the difference in opportunity. You know, I, I fundamentally believe there are no, bad kids in the world. There are kids that are born into some very difficult, challenging circumstances, and every child deserves an opportunity to succeed. So I really embedded me, a mindset of service, of giving back.

And, one of the reasons I ran for the school board when I was 24, we got wealthy, and came back and won when I was 26. And then, served on council, served on the school board and council, and, was elected mayor when I was 40 years old. So, I really believe local government is the best way to give and serve.

And I think you can have the greatest impact. I respect what people do, state and federal level. We need them. But I think local government and and particularly being a mayor is the best job in America.

David Martin: What made you decide to run for school board at 24?

Andrew Ginther: You know, there were three there, seven school board members in Columbus, and three of them were over the age of 70. And so I thought that it was time, especially because I went through Columbus City schools and graduated from Watson High School, that I felt like it was important to have a young person’s perspective, somebody they had gone through the district more recently and more recently.

David Martin: Yeah.

Andrew Ginther: And, you know, could could contribute and be constructive and, and give an example of what positive things were happening in the school district as well.

David Martin: And you wanted to see the principal walk by and say, excuse me, sir.

Andrew Ginther: Hahahahahahahaha.

David Martin: Maybe just a little.

Andrew Ginther: Especially the ones that gave me Saturday school or detention. There you go.

David Martin: Those are the guys who want to go after all right, well, now we’re going to take a break, and then we’re going to come back with the good government. Your question.

Andrew Ginther: It sounds great.

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David Martin: Okay, so the good Government show questionnaire. This is going to get to your philosophy. The heart of your thinking about government. Are you ready prepared okay. You are a city council person. You were a city council president. Now you’re able to find good government.

Andrew Ginther: Good government focuses on getting results for the people we serve. I would say that, you know, people want government to help empower people to improve their own lives. And that’s what good government is all about to me.

David Martin: To help people improve their own lives. Right. How do you how do you know if you’re doing that? How do you judge your success? How do you know if you’re achieving your goal?

Andrew Ginther: Are you, improving access to jobs? Opportunity, health care? For me particularly, it’s all through the lens of equity, right? You know, two thirds of our city is doing better than we’ve ever done before, but a third of our city, has kind of been left out and left behind from Columbus. This is next door.

So I believe my job as mayor is to make sure that every family and every neighborhood is sharing in our success. And there’s a difference between equity and equality, right? Yes. I mean, everybody believes in equality, but equity is different. It’s being purposeful and intentional. Yeah. And investing in neighborhoods and neighbors that have been left out and left behind.

And so we’re trying to embrace equity from everything from our operating budget to our capital budget, where we’re investing in transit and education and opportunities to make sure that, again, every family in central Ohio is, enjoying the success that we’re seeing in other parts.

David Martin: Do you have days and, end of the day or end of the week where you go, yeah, I didn’t really head off this week.

Andrew Ginther: I, I have certainly had those moments, especially in the last four years. Leadership has never been more lonely than the last four years. You’ve been the mayor of a big city. You know, everything from the fallout from the pandemic, the reckoning, around race and police community relations, an increase in crime. But we’re seeing great results.

I mean, crime in American cities is going down dramatically.

David Martin: Yes, it is.

Andrew Ginther: And it’s because of the great work of our law enforcement organizations, the community, some of the reforms and changes we made to make our departments more transparent and accountable to the public. Well, I was.

David Martin: Going to ask, have you made any changes in your police.

Andrew Ginther: Department? Oh my gosh, significantly, we’ve had, we brought in our first chief of police from outside the division of police. We put.

David Martin: It behind.

Andrew Ginther: Him. She, is, from Detroit. Oh, and she has done an incredible job starting to change the culture within our division of police. We put in place a civilian review board and inspector general. We’ve implemented body worn cameras on all of our officers. And we know all of that has helped increase trust and legitimacy.

And we have our officers doing more community policing and engagement than they’ve ever done before.

David Martin: Are they getting out of their cars?

Andrew Ginther: Absolutely. And we’ve got them on bikes and on foot and in our team.

David Martin: Rules for the parks, the bike lanes.

Andrew Ginther: Yeah, exactly. And, and and it’s been great because we’re taking record numbers of guns off the street. We’re getting record levels of community tips and information. And the community is engaging. They’re actually helping to recruit young people in the city to come become police officers and firefighters. And that really was not happening 5 or 10 years ago.

David Martin: Are you are you short police officers? Are you hiring more? Do we are hiring more?

Andrew Ginther: We’ve been putting through three police classes every year for the last several years. Okay. I think by the end of next year, we’ll have more officers on the street than we ever have before. We already have more firefighters than we’ve ever had before, but that’s important because we keep growing as a city. At the end of last year, we were the fastest growing city in America, and again, we’re going to grow as a region by more than the third.

So we need more officers, more firefighters, and invest in technology to help make better use of the resources we have. And we’re putting in place a real time crime center, that we up and running in the next couple of years that will help us do that.

David Martin: And how has this been received by the public?

Andrew Ginther: Very well received. Our chief, has got, you know, great support in the community, and is continuing to change the culture of the division of police. That doesn’t happen overnight.

David Martin: No, it’s just,

Andrew Ginther: And.

David Martin: There’s a segment of the population that’s always going to be upset by it. Police do. And any any extra added expense of more cops in.

Andrew Ginther: And there’s, parts of the public that don’t want to question police and think that, the police shouldn’t have to change, that society has changed and that, you know, law enforcement doesn’t need to evolve. We reject false choices. We think we can support the, police and demand change, reform and accountability at the same time.

And I’m really proud of the last two.

David Martin: Efforts that sound like good government.

Andrew Ginther: Yeah, the last two FOP contracts, we significantly raise the salaries of our officers, but we also put in place the civilian review board, the inspector general, the body worn cameras and are starting to address a seniority based system that undermine merit, for assignment within the Division of Police and the chief now has more power to put the right people in the right places to protect the public in our city.

We think that’s good government.

David Martin: Sounds like good government to me. If people don’t like what you’re doing, if they don’t think that, government is firing on all cylinders, what should they do?

Andrew Ginther: Well, I think engage, you know, and and we it’s hard. It is, it is. Everybody’s busy and, you know, we we think it’s important. I’m I’m a big believer in continuous improvement. I’m going into my third term here. And I still think the best days of the city and the best days of mine is mayor. So ahead of me.

I want to continue to improve. I want to continue to get better. I want to continue to learn. And so the best way for me to do that is making sure that I’m communicating directly with the public about what’s working and what’s not. I mean, it’s really important, I think, particularly as you getting further into your service as mayor, that you remind yourself that you’re not there to serve the city or represent the city.

You’re there to work on behalf of the people of your city and to serve them and make the government more accountable, transparent, and accessible for the people you serve.

David Martin: As an elected official, you’re in government. You’ve had multiple jobs in government. What would you like people to know about how government works?

Andrew Ginther: That there are a lot of great people in government who love their communities. And I still believe that public service is a noble profession, a great calling, whether you’re a teacher, firefighter, a police officer, or an elected official. You know, I know our system of government is not perfect. Yes, but I still would argue that’s the best one on the face of the planet.

And, but we need young people to serve. And I know that.

David Martin: There’s a.

Andrew Ginther: A partizanship and polarization and a certain amount of the anti-government sentiment out there and kind of going, after all public servants, we need to to double down on recruiting young people into public service.

David Martin: Are you doing that in court? We are.

Andrew Ginther: And and it’s critically important to have the right messengers to. I’m 49 years old. You know me. I don’t know how much credibility I may have with the 21, 22, 23 year old, but having young police officers, young teachers, young, nurses at public health, you know, talking to students in high school, in college, we have our officers, working in our middle schools right now to getting young people not only to build better relationships with the division of police, but to maybe spark an interest in them.

We have a cadet program with both police and fire, where you can’t become a police officer until you’re 21. In Columbus, you can become a firefighter at 18. But we pay these, kids that have come out of Columbus neighborhoods part time. Yeah, until they become police officers, firefighters, a great pipeline, you know, and so we’re thinking about doing that in other areas, whether it’s public utilities and public service and, you know, certainly in neighborhoods and recreation and parks, to create that pipeline for the future.

David Martin: Have people come up to you who are not elected officials, who work in city government, who’s come up to you with a plan? And you were just like, where did this come from? I never would have thought of that.

Andrew Ginther: Yeah, some of the best ideas. I mean, if you take the time to listen to the people who are doing the work every day, right. It turns out they got some pretty good ideas on how to make government.

David Martin: We heard this show. That’s why we.

Andrew Ginther: Have they have some pretty good ideas about, you know, things that could work better. You know, if you remove some barriers or you made it more, constituent friendly and accessible, you know, government can always. And that’s the beauty of good government. It can always get better. It can always get better. And if we are committed to continuous improvement, that’s what we ought to be about.

David Martin: Two part question. What’s the best part of your job?

Andrew Ginther: Best part of my job is being able to rally the entire community. We’re diverse. Can be much more diverse than we were when I was growing up there. We’re a, community. I always say the sun is always rising in Columbus, and it is an optimistic, can do community that’s excited about and embracing the future. And that’s one of the best things about my job is the people of Columbus.

They’re resilient. They’re positive. They’re optimistic. And they are just can-do people.

David Martin: Until they stop you with the street.

Andrew Ginther: Absolutely, absolutely. I mean.

David Martin: Do you go to the grocery store? The grocery.

Andrew Ginther: Store, you know, Church Street, you know, anywhere that, people are generally the mayor should be and the mayor, it’s different than the governor and the president. You know, anybody can come up and talk to you about anything that’s on their mind. And that’s what I love. Not only do I am committed to continuous improvement, I love to learn about things I don’t know about.

So being curious, I think also leads to good government. It helps you be creative and innovative and and thinking about what’s best for the people you serve, as opposed to a system of government.

David Martin: And when you hear somebody say, hey, Mayor Andy, I just want to ask.

Andrew Ginther: That’s right. And it happens all the time.

David Martin: I mean, so what’s the hardest part of the job?

Andrew Ginther: Probably talking to, the families of those affected by gun violence. Okay, sometimes that’s our officers missing or officers after they have been shot. Sometimes that’s talking to a mom or dad whose child’s been shot. Knowing there’s so much more we could be doing about gun violence, if we were focused on good government, best practices, evidence and results as opposed to dogma, polarization and partizanship.

I mean, if you think about the last three, four years, more children in America have died as a result of gun violence than they have in car accidents.

David Martin: For the first time, deaths.

Andrew Ginther: For the first time in first time in the history of the Republic.

David Martin: Right.

Andrew Ginther: If we had a virus, if there was a disease out there killing young people, at this rate, we would call for a national summit. We would put out moonshots. We would we would do everything in our power. We would look at all the evidence and research and say, how can we save more children?

David Martin: Yep.

Andrew Ginther: And that’s where good government has.

David Martin: No issue here. It’s just the mayor begging on the table to make this point.

Andrew Ginther: We can do this if if we submitted and committed to good government. But yes, that is definitely the most painful part of being mayor is being with the victims and the families of victims impacted by gun violence.

David Martin: Is there stuff you can do locally to take us challenging?

Andrew Ginther: We’re continuing to push it. We created an Office of Violence Prevention. We declared gun violence a public health crisis. So trying to take that public health perspective to how we reduce it, we made record investments into both prevention and intervention, not just enforcement. But to be honest with you, our state legislature has preempted a lot of really common sense gun laws that the overwhelming majority of Americans, support red flag laws.

Background checks, you know, putting in place just commonsense things. You know, we don’t want people who abuse their intimate partners or children to have access to firearms. Everybody agrees with that. 90% of Democrats and Republicans. And so that’s one of the know. The reason you’re here and we pound on the table is, I believe, passionately good government and best practices.

You know, what’s in the best interest. And this is one of those issues that continues to frustrate the heck out of me. Because, if we gave this issue of gun violence a great shot in the arm of good government, we could save kids and families.

David Martin: You’re a newsmaker. Where do you get your news from them?

Andrew Ginther: All over. I try to make sure I’m listening and taking, heat from a variety of different sources.

David Martin: You still get a newspaper delivered to your front door?

Andrew Ginther: No, no. But, you know, check out a variety of news sources because I think it’s important, to get out of our echo chambers and particularly as mayors. Right. I mean, maybe certain members of Congress or U.S. senators just want to hear that what they’re saying is right, or have it validated by somebody regurgitating it to them.

But as mayors, we have to represent and work for the entire city and the entire community. So even if it’s something I don’t agree with, I need to hear. I need to understand it, and I need to understand, you know, how I’m going to continue to work with that person and move our community forward.

David Martin: Who’s your political hero? Who inspires you?

Andrew Ginther: I read a book about Bobby Kennedy in the fourth grade. I had the best teacher in my life in the fourth grade. Her name was Mrs. Ruth Hale and I had great, highly acclaimed professors and all that kind of stuff in college and so forth. But she was the best teacher I ever had, and she introduced me into a biography on Bobby Kennedy in the fourth grade.

And, I’ve always, you know, viewed him as a great, model and hero for public service.

David Martin: There going to be attorney general and senator someday.

Andrew Ginther: The the best job in America is being mayor, and I intend to do it as long as my wife, daughter and the people of Columbus support me doing it way.

David Martin: First I say.

Andrew Ginther: Absolutely.

David Martin: Okay. You said you were a political science, major college, and you ran for school board at 24. Did you want to be mayor or president or said it? I think I figured out, as he always did, what.

Andrew Ginther: I think I figured out early on, local government is where I was at. Yeah, part of that is based on my parents and, the way they gave back. I still think you can have the greatest impact in public service as a mayor in serving on the local level. Again, same federal is important, but the impact they have, is nothing compared to what I believe I can do.

For the people of Columbus as mayor or.

David Martin: Governor of the.

Andrew Ginther: People of Columbus as mayor.

David Martin: You’re good at this. All right, so I was in Columbus once. I went to, what a couple of people told me was the best steakhouse. It was right downtown. If I’m coming back, what is the dish of Columbus? Everyone must have? What’s Ohio’s favorite?

Andrew Ginther: We got so many great dishes. I’d send you to the North Market, one of America’s great public markets. Okay, we’re getting ready to make some transformational investments there to make sure it’s sustainable for the future. Columbus has become a much more diverse, an international city, probably even since you were there. So and so. So what are some of the greatest tastes, from all over the world?

We have a thriving, Guinean, American community. Bhutanese, Nepali. Wow. Latino.

David Martin: Have you tried it all?

Andrew Ginther: Oh, yeah. Somali community. Okay. And so great foods from all around the world. And you can find them all under one roof at North Market. That was where Jeni’s ice cream was born. Yeah. Okay. The president’s favorite ice cream. And, you know, so many other great things. You can take over all of them, have their start there in the North Market, and it’s a great place to go and have a little bit of everything, a little bit of everything.

David Martin: The Cincinnati chili make it to Columbus.

Andrew Ginther: It does. The skyline has a much bigger presence than Gold Star.

David Martin: Okay.

Andrew Ginther: And if you talk to my wife from Cincinnati, the best thing in my life came to Columbus, to me from Cincinnati. And. But she swears Skyline chili tastes different in Columbus than it does Cincinnati. But there’s a gold star skyline divided in Cincinnati. I think it’s a east side, West side thing. So.

David Martin: So the Cincinnati chili is spaghetti with, was, how do you get yours? Two way, three way. What do you do?

Andrew Ginther: I generally do the coneys, although, I like the three way. Pretty good.

David Martin: All right. So this is the good government show. We try to bring it back to good government. Always tell me about a good government project that you’ve worked on, that you’re really excited about.

Andrew Ginther: Well, there’s so many, but I think one that, I’m particularly proud of is the way the community has rallied around, infant and maternal vitality. You know, one of the great challenges was the number of children we were losing before their first birthday because moms had difficult pregnancies, and difficult, birth outcomes. And so we put together a public private partnership called Celebrate one where rallied the entire community health care systems, nonprofits, and have really galvanized the community around having better outcomes for moms, and better birth outcomes for babies.

So we don’t want kids just to get to their first birthday. We want them to thrive in their early years of life. And and that’s one public private partnership where good government has really made a huge difference, and literally saved lives.

David Martin: Well, it sounds like there is a lot of good government going on in Columbus, Ohio. And, even more and even faster with the new bus system. So, Mayor Andy Genter, president soon to be vice president and soon to be president of the Conference of Mayors. And he gets her. Great to meet you. Thanks for stopping by and have a good year.

Andrew Ginther: Thank you so much.

David Martin: We will we’ll meet you back next year and we’ll see how you did.

Andrew Ginther: Thank you. Look forward to it.

David Martin: Thank you very much.

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The loneliest job in government. That’s what Columbus Mayor Andy Ginter said. I can see his point. But he also said being mayor is the best job in government. It’s good to hear the clear enthusiasm. As for both the job and his city, as Columbus grows, more transportation, more bike lanes is good government. Mayor Ginter also said the city was getting record levels of guns off the street, and he said they’re working to reform the police department and expanding the force.

Finally, he said, the best days of the city are ahead and his best days of American said, and that’s good news and good government. Well, that’s our show. Thanks for listening. Please like us and share this with your friends and review us right here where you’re listening, and check out our website. Good Government show.com for extras. Help us keep telling stories of good government and action everywhere.

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**This transcription was created using digital tools and has not been edited by a live person. We apologize for any discrepancies or errors.