Jim Lienhoop
Columbus Mayor Jim Lienhoop, who is coming to the end of his second term, has announced that he will not seek another.
He told The Republic that this is due to a variety of factors, such as a desire to spend time with family, a sense that it is time to slow down, and the feeling that he has achieved most of what he set out to do.
“At the end of my term, I’ll be 70,” said Lienhoop. “And while I realize that that’s just a number, I also realize that it requires me to give some thought to what I might do with the rest of the time I’ve got left.”
He added that since he started delivering papers and mowing lawns at age 9 and has basically been working ever since, it seems like time, with his wife, Pam, to “slow down and sort of enjoy a little bit of what we’ve been able to build over the last several decades.”
The couple hope to spend time with their grandchildren, do some traveling and relax.
Lienhoop expects a few candidates to enter the next mayoral race — possibly three, he said — and welcomes all of them to “participate in how we govern ourselves.”
“We have assembled a great team at the city of Columbus and I can step aside knowing our city will be well led,” he said in an official statement. “As I mentioned, I have very much enjoyed this honor. And, while I would enjoy continuing to serve Columbus and finish the work we’ve started, my wife, Pam, and I have concluded it is time to retire. Columbus is a great community with a bright future — it was recently chosen as the Community of the Year — and Pam and I will continue to be involved and invested in it.”
Lienhoop previously served on Columbus City Council and was elected mayor in 2015, unseating incumbent Republican Kristen Brown. He ran unopposed in the 2019 general election after defeating Republican challenger Glenn Petri in the May primary.
Lienhoop’s announcement highlighted the railroad overpass, the Alliance for Substance Abuse Progress, the downtown apartments and urban grocer project, and the development of NexusPark as some of the city’s accomplishments during this his tenure as mayor. He also commended Columbus City Council, city employees and volunteers for their service.
