Public debate between Youngstown City Council, residents explain inner workings of city government

Youngstown, Ohio (WKBN) – Six of the seven Youngstown City Council members attended a city hall meeting Thursday night to talk about how city government works and listen to people. tilted.

They talked about how to get things done and how sometimes it can be hard to get things done.

Part of the meeting at the Covelli Center was about who to contact in case of problems.

“Most of the responsibility for running the city rests with the mayor’s office and its administrative functions,” said Alderman Mike Ray.

Mary Krupa was one of the residents of Youngstown.

“You or the citizens or anyone is working to get the bill passed, but it’s very frustrating when it’s not implemented the way it’s written,” Krupa said.

Fifth Ward Rep. Lauren McNally spoke about how sewage has receded in several basements in her ward. To get help from people, she took advantage of them.

“We had to put the pressure on the affected residents to come to meetings,” McNally said.

Derrick McDowell, owner of Youngstown Fleas, said:

McDowell says the pressure of putting people under subsidies to run his business took its toll.

“As you know, that’s my personal opinion and experience, and I certainly understand that pressure needs to be applied, but it comes at a price,” McDowell said. increase.

Resident Jackie Adair asked about the stinking water in the Eastside neighborhood. She was told the city council had allocated funds to fix the problem.

Youngstown’s spending of American Rescue Plan money was also charted. $43 million of the $82 million has already been allocated, with the largest portion so far for city parks. . $39 million has not yet been allocated.

Youngstown City Councilman Julius Oliver announced at the conference that the Board of Trustees had approved three of his projects funded by the American Rescue Plan.

1. Build new homes and restore old homes on Glenwood Avenue and High Street.
2. Rebuild the Falls Avenue and Hillman Street parks and surroundings.
3. Purchase a vehicle to use as a mobile market in First Ward.