YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Guy Coviello, president and CEO of the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber, could not recall a time in which a speaker received a standing ovation during one of the organization’s Good Morning events.
On Thursday, a crowd of approximately 250 responded in such fashion as Mayor Derrick McDowell concluded his remarks during the chamber’s Good Morning, Youngstown breakfast at Stambaugh Auditorium.
McDowell, elected as the city’s 52nd mayor in November, delivered a spirited address that combined evangelical zeal with his personal passion for the city.
“Youngstown, Ohio, is – and always has been – the economic and cultural heart of our Valley and this region, and we will take our rightful position, and there is no shame in that,” McDowell declared. “We’re going to start boldly bragging about us.”
The mayor’s remarks came a day after he presented his State of the City address before the Youngstown Rotary Club, in which he outlined his administration’s efforts during his first 60 days in office.
It wasn’t all pep rally, as McDowell also touched on the challenges facing the city. “I see Youngstown through a lens of life and death,” he said.
McDowell related his own experience as an entrepreneur – he owns the Youngstown Flea, an open marketplace for local vendors – and how this opportunity transformed his life. At the same time, he recalled how he helped a woman realize her potential by taking her to a small shop in East Palestine, demonstrating that it was possible to start your own business.
Inspired by McDowell’s counsel, the woman renovated a building space on Hillman Way on the city’s South Side. However, when McDowell visited the shop, the woman informed him that she would never open.
“Derrick, I’m not opening my shop,” he recalled her saying. “I have to get out of here. They’re after my son.” The following week, her 17-year-old son was murdered at a gas station on South Avenue.
“That is why I move with urgency in the city of Youngstown,” McDowell said. “Because it’s life and death.”
He emphasized that the city has not experienced a homicide in nearly four months. “This is something we should be clapping about.”
McDowell also urged the community to unite behind its school system as it works to improve its standing, support Youngstown’s cultural institutions and preserve a legacy for future generations. His speech was met with a resounding applause as the crowd rose to its feet.
“I leaned over to my colleague and asked if we ever had a standing ovation at Good Morning before, and Derrick, we had not,” Coviello said, as he thanked the morning’s sponsors and speakers. “You certainly inspired me today, and I look forward to working with you for many years to come.”
Other initiatives to help boost homeownership in the city, for example, are underway.
Kim Foster, senior vice president, eastern region for 717 Credit Union, announced at the breakfast a new program – the Youngstown Strong Mortgage program – to encourage the growth of owner-occupied homes in the city.
“When you buy an owner-occupied home in the city of Youngstown, we will take 1% off the qualified mortgage rate,” she said. “These are some of the initiatives we have going on.”
Foster said the idea was born after a meeting with McDowell and John Demmler, 717 president and CEO.
Among the sponsors for Thursday’s breakfast were 717, QuickMed, Sedgwick, Mercy Health, Akron Children’s Hospital of the Mahoning Valley, Boak & Sons, Strollo Architects and Leaf Relief.
Education Efforts
Jeremy Batchelor, superintendent of Youngstown City Schools, presented an update on the course of the district’s “One Vision, One Youngstown” efforts as the system undergoes a transition to a single high school and one middle school.
“Our children absolutely believe in what we’re doing,” he said.
In 1970, the school district boasted 144,000 people, Bachelor said. Today, it’s less than 60,000, driving adaptation and change. Under the new plan, Chaney High School and East High School will combine into a single central high school, located on East High’s campus. A middle school will also be located at the P. Ross Berry campus on the East Side.
Chaney High School on the city’s West Side will eventually be home to the Rayen Early College High School and Rayen Early College Middle School.
Batchelor also emphasized other achievements, such as Choffin Career & Technical Center’s five-star rating – the sole urban tech center in Ohio to receive the designation. Other high ratings include a 4.5-star rating for Youngstown Early College as well as programs such as Y-Star Scholarship, OSU Young Scholars and College Credit Plus initiatives.
In addition, Batchelor said the school district has experienced a 38% reduction in total teacher exits, a 53% reduction in resignations and is active in new strategic recruitment and pipeline planning for both faculty and students. Personnel costs are also down, from $52.1 million three years ago to $47.3 million, he said, without disrupting service to its students.
“We’re going to continue to grow,” Batchelor said. “We need this community behind us.”
Pictured at top: Youngstown Mayor Derrick McDowell.