After months of speculation and rumors as to whether or not current Columbus Mayor Andy Ginther was going to run for re-election in 2023 ( or some other ordained Franklin County Democratic Party Democrat) it is rumored that Mr. Ginther will announce this evening at the Ohio Brewing Company that he will be seeking another four-year term.  

Since early spring of this year, lifelong Columbus resident, former Columbus City Council candidate and longtime community advocate Joe Motil and his supporters have been gathering the required 1,000 valid signatures in order to have his name placed on the ballot for the May 2, 2023 Columbus mayoral primary election. Motil has 1,844 signatures on hand and will be submitting about 2,100 signatures to the Franklin County Board of Elections when they are due in February of next year.

Motil states, “Andy Ginther has failed over the last 15 years as a Columbus City Councilman and Mayor to provide the necessary vision and leadership to improve the lives and neighborhoods of families and everyday people throughout Columbus. He only serves the economic interest of wealthy developers, corporate Columbus and others who “pay to play” in a city government that sorely lacks a true democracy but is ripe with unethical and alleged corrupt activity. Whether it is through tax abatements which contributed greatly to the recent teachers strike, the Crew/Mapfre Stadium deal, Redflex, the Ohio Health- SR 315 ramp project, the Little Turtle Road Project and others, “The Columbus Way” has led to the demise and safety of our neighborhoods, the lives of everyday people and lack of trust from Mr. Ginther.”  

Motil concludes, “ Ginther’s 2019 Affordable Housing  $50 million bond package is just one example of his shortsightedness on how to address our affordable housing crisis. That bond package was depleted at the end of 2021 and he has not spent a dime of our city’s $187 million American Rescue Plan funds to build an affordable housing unit.   As a 2019 candidate for Columbus City Council I proposed a $250 million bond package for affordable housing and I have lobbied for allocating no less than $60 million of our city’s ARP funds towards truly affordable housing along with other housing initiatives. I am looking forward to debating Mr. Ginther on this issue and others, along with sharing my vision as “The Peoples Mayor” of Columbus, Ohio.”