Marion probably wasn’t counting on briefing the mayor, but he was ready. He’d taken careful notes, highlighting and underscoring key words. At the end of a summer science camp, the 8-year-old was ready to share his findings about how to help astronauts sleep better in space and Andrew Ginther, the mayor of Columbus, Ohio, leaned down to listen attentively to Marion’s suggestions about sleeping bags in space.
The city helped fund the summer program. Ginther thanks the parents in attendance for their support and stops to talk with Nathan Harris, who’d participated in the camp during its inaugural year and went on to earn a Ph.D. in engineering at nearby Ohio State. “Over the last couple of years, I’ve put ARPA funds and other federal money into a record number of after-school programs,” Ginther says after leaving the camp, using the acronym for the American Rescue Plan Act. “We think that’s a major contribution in reaching historic lows in homicides and violent crime.”
Every mayor has two jobs: Running the city and representing it as the government’s most prominent public face. Ginther spent a recent Thursday afternoon pursuing both activities, showing up at a variety of events as a speaker, funder and cheerleader. “Mayors aren’t known for their patience — they want everything done yesterday,” Ginther tells a group of neighborhood commissioners and local business owners, “but you have to stay committed to that plan.”…