By By Okon Ekpenyong
A native of Columbus’ South Side returns to the community that helped shape him with an important announcement: Shannon Hardin is running for mayor of Columbus. He formally announced his campaign for mayor today, entering the 2027 race against incumbent third-term Mayor Andrew Ginther.
Hardin was appointed to Columbus City Council in 2014 and won election to the seat in 2015. He has served as council president since 2018.
But his decision to run is also personal. In an interview with The Columbus Dispatch, Hardin reflected on growing up in the Southfield neighborhood, describing a community filled with hardworking residents, including a postal worker, an educator who lived across the street from his mother’s house, city employees, and people working in other industries.
Hardin said residents have increasingly expressed frustration about feeling priced out and pushed out by rising property taxes and rents. He said he has listened to those concerns both before and since entering City Council and continues to work with neighborhood leaders to advocate for the community and address its challenges.
That connection to the community is also evident in the 12th annual Hardin Fish Fry, a longstanding gathering that brings residents together in various community neighborhoods. The event offers a different view of Hardin — not simply as a council president or political candidate, but as a community figure maintaining relationships with the people he represents.
Now, after more than a decade in City Hall, Hardin wants to take that experience from the council chamber to the mayor’s office and help determine where Columbus goes next.
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