Ginther goes after opponent Motil in ad for first time in Columbus mayoral race

The sleepy race for Columbus mayor is showing signs of waking up in the final three weeks, after two-term Mayor Andrew J. Ginther for the first time launched a TV ad directly going after his opponent, Joe Motil.

The ad mainly concerns Motil's criticism of Ginther for having pushed for a surge in police patrols in the Short North following a wave of gun violence there last summer.

"Mayor Andy Ginther has worked tirelessly to reduce crime," the spot's narrator says. "But when he added police patrols after a spike in violence, Joe Motil called it 'excessive.'"

Ginther's campaign has largely ignored the low-funded Motil until now, declining to debate him. The campaign confirmed this week that the new ad marks the first time any of its TV spots have mentioned Motil by name.

"A research firm has told them that they need to be concerned about the numbers," Motil said. "They've done polling ... or they wouldn't be doing this."

The issue over increasing police patrols in the Short North after a spike in violence is a reference to last May, when after two consecutive weekends of shootings in the entertainment district north of Downtown - including a May 6 shootout on North High Street that left at least 10 people wounded. City leaders including Ginther gathered afterwards to announce a crackdown.

Motil wrote an op-ed saying he went to the Short North on a Friday night during the operation and found the police presence to be over the top, saying he "was informed" by a police union official that there were 150 officers in the neighborhood on "motorcycles, bikes, foot patrol, horses, canine units, (a) helicopter, and cruisers." He said Ginther was partly motivated for the surge by the upcoming U.S. Conference of Mayors annual meeting at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

"This unnecessary excessive show of force was due to a culmination of political pressure from Ginther’s Short North developer and business associates who dictate his every move, as well as concern for optics when the Conference of Mayors" attendees arrived June 1, Motil said in a written statement.

“Neighborhood safety is Mayor Andrew Ginther’s top priority. Full Stop," said Ginther campaign spokesman Cameron Keir. "... Mayor Ginther refused to allow voters to go to the polls with misinformation spread by his opponent in a cheap attempt to score political points on safety or any other issue."

The 30-second spot also takes aim at Motil's criticism of a city gun-buyback program last month that collected over 300 firearms in return for grocery gift cards. "Joe Motil called it a waste of resources," the ad says.

Asked about Motil's comments at a recent event, Ginther told The Dispatch: "Elections are about choices. This mayor is solely focused on taking more guns off the street and making our city safer, and Mr. Motil has opposed it at every turn, working with police to take guns off the street.

"I believe the voters of Columbus need to know that when they're making their choice."

Motil countered that gun buybacks are campaign stunts that collect mostly inoperable guns "that haven't been used in 20 years," and isn't a real solution to gun violence.

"Not one criminal turned in a gun," he said Friday.

Columbus Assistant Chief Greg Bodker recently told The Dispatch that buybacks work because "any guns off the street is good news."

But Brian Steel, vice president of the Columbus police union, agreed with Motil, telling a local TV station that "a violent offender whose weapon is (a) tool of their trade is not going to go turn (a gun) in for a $50, $100 or $1,000 Kroger gift card."

"I understand it's a political year," Steel said. "I understand the mayor has an opponent, an opponent that's picking up steam. He’s got to show something - that we are lowering the crime."

The election between the two Democrats is November 7, although early voting has already begun.

wbush@gannett.com

@ReporterBush

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Mayor Ginther says opponent Motil opposed Columbus anti-crime efforts