hilltop

Equity and Prosperity were the highlights of Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther’s State of the City Address on Thursday night at historic West High School in the Westgate neighborhood in the Hilltop, which was prominently featured in Ginther’s address.

The theme of Ginther’s Address was about equity. As soon as Ginther said, “Equity is the corner stone of my administration,” a protester disrupted the speech by demanding action. Ginther said, “I see you and I hear you, and I look forward to meeting with you, to hear your voices” to quell the protests from further disrupting Ginther’s address in a packed school auditorium.

After the protesters were escorted out of the Auditorium by Columbus Police Officers, Ginther continued his speech by saying, “Dissent is the highest form of patriotism”.

In his speech, Ginther talked about equality, from combatting the housing crisis and the opioid crisis, to combatting the racial barriers in our community, such as improving the city’s toxic police/community relations. “It’s time for us to discuss the long-term effects going forward, and to explore Racism as a public health crisis,” Ginther said about the racial inequality in Columbus.

Neighborhoods have been the core of the Ginther Administration from the beginning. Ginther announced big plans for Linden, that are part of the One Linden Plan. Construction is in progress for a new Fire Station 16 on Oakland Park Avenue in North Linden. Homeport will be working on a “Downtown Linden” project at the corner of Cleveland and Myrtle Avenues. $ 20 Million will be invested in an overhaul of the Hudson Street Thoroughfare as part of the One Linden Plan.