James D. Lienhoop is the 37th Mayor of the City of Columbus, taking office on January 1, 2016. Although newly elected as Mayor, he served City government since 2006, beginning as an interim member of City Council to replace a council member who was called into active duty overseas. He was elected to his own term as Columbus City Councilman, at-large representative in 2012. Jim has been heavily involved in the Columbus community, having served on the board, usually in an officer capacity, of numerous not-for-profit endeavors. 

A life-long resident of Columbus, Jim has been married to his wife, Pam, for over 30 years.  Together they have two children, Jon and Libby.

Letter from Mayor Lienhoop

Welcome to the City of Columbus, Indiana

Columbus is ranked as sixth in the nation for innovation and design by the American Institute of Architects, with buildings and public art installations created by Eero Saarinen, Harry Weese, Kevin Roche, I.M. Pei, Henry Moore, and Dale Chihuly. National Geographic Traveler has Columbus at the top of their list of the United States historic destinations.

Our City is also world headquarters for Cummins Inc., a Fortune 500 Company and diesel engine manufacturer and home to specialized industries such as transportation and automotive equipment manufacturing, fabricated metal product manufacturing, plastics and rubber product manufacturing, and paper product manufacturing.

What makes Columbus exceptional isn’t our architecture or our world-class engineering and manufacturing. Those are indeed worthy of acclaim. But, what makes Columbus stand out are the people who live here. Community participation, whether in neighborhood groups, school activities, not-for-profits, or service on a governmental board is what drives our success.

Our Administration is actively working in four areas to make Columbus even greater.

Public Safety

BackgroundChecks.org, an organization devoted to public safety and open government has ranked Columbus as one of the 25 safest cities in Indiana.  Over the last several years, our violent crime rate has been one-third to one-half of the national rate.

New Initiatives:

Participate with Healthy Communities (which includes social service professionals, mental health providers, law enforcement, county officials, the courts, and others) to offer help to overcome addiction and return to a normal life.

Coffee with a Cop – Our best leads come from citizens.  If we can encourage officers and citizens to engage in simple conversation, some of the barriers inherent with blue uniforms and badges might lessen, leading to more citizen involvement.

Economic Opportunities

The City’s relationship with the Columbus Area Economic Development Board will be enhanced by making a greater investment in targeting the pharmaceutical, engineering research and development and administrative support industries.

Educational Attainment

Columbus Redevelopment Commission will assist Bartholomew Consolidated Schools with funds for programs designed to improve graduation rates and better prepare our graduates for the kind of jobs we’ll see in the next decade.

Relationship Building

We will work to strengthen relationships with several key stakeholders, including:

• Other Communities  – Spending time with the Mayors of other cities will help as we confront issues that are bigger than any one community. Columbus is not an island, and significant issues, such as the drug issue we’re facing, exist in these communities as well. It is a regional issue and will require a regional response
• State Government  – Continue dialog with state representatives and officials to maximize our resources at the state level.
• City Hall – “Do good.” City employees know how to provide the services our city offers, and they do it well. As a group, our employees derive satisfaction in serving the public. I want them to know their efforts are appreciated and they are encouraged to continue to work hard. “Have fun.” A simple directive – enjoy your work, look forward to coming to work, enjoy those you work with. As citizens, we want service with a smile. Happy, empowered employees are how we attain that.

Collectively, we land airplanes, pick up puppy dogs, put out fires (real ones), push snow, fill potholes, and much more. Every day, we touch the lives of almost all our citizens, one way or another.

We welcome you to our City!  If we can be of service to you, please contact our office at (812) 376-2500 or email me at mayor@columbus.in.gov

James D. Lienhoop, Mayor