Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther delivered his State of the City Address, reflecting on the community’s progress and outlining priorities for the year ahead. His remarks highlighted key initiatives, partnerships, and investments that support the city’s residents and neighborhoods in their growth, safety, and prosperity.
Mayor Ginther highlighted that in 2025, Columbus recorded the lowest number of homicides in nearly two decades. He credited this progress to the city’s comprehensive approach to public safety, including expanded violence prevention efforts and the launch of the Safer Together 614 campaign. The city is also strengthening targeted violence reduction strategies, including expanding a pilot program that applies homicide-level investigative resources to non-fatal shootings.
The Mayor also highlighted the city’s continued investments in housing affordability. Voter-approved housing bonds in 2019 and 2022, totaling $250 million, have already supported the creation or preservation of more than 7,000 affordable homes and leveraged nearly $1.5 billion in additional public and private funding. In November, voters approved a third $500 million Affordable Housing Bond that will fund new affordable housing, housing stability efforts, and innovative partnerships beginning in 2027.
Mayor Ginther noted the city invested more than $28 million in youth programs, creating nearly 70,000 opportunities for young people to access job training, learning support, recreation, and safe places to belong. Columbus is also supporting residents through job training and re-entry programs that help people returning from incarceration rebuild their lives. New initiatives such as the Economic Mobility Accelerator provide a $500 monthly stipend to residents completing career training, while IgniteHER Columbus expands leadership opportunities for young women through sports.
Watch the Mayor’s full remarks here.
