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Published:Tuesday, August 26, 2008
By Sean Barron
More cooperation and less competition between municipalities is imperative, several officials said.
YOUNGSTOWN — If community leaders and others wish to attract more jobs and industry, enhance urban and economic development, and make land-use initiatives more practical, an approach between communities that stresses cooperation must be adopted.
In short, cities and suburbs need to recognize that what’s good for one is good for all.
Regionalization and revenue sharing among the 16 counties of Northeast Ohio were key themes that ran throughout a panel discussion Monday at the Unitarian Universalist Church, 1105 Elm St., on the city‘s North Side. The two-hour session was the fifth and final Universal Caf ’s Arts and Lecture series at the church.
Making up the panel were Mayor Jay Williams; Mike Lyons, mayor of Richfield Village in Summit County; Dan Mamula, coordinator of the Mahoning River Corridor of Opportunity; Arnold Clebone, regional economic development director with the Ohio Department of Development; and Sarah V. Lown, the city’s development incentive manager with the Office of Economic Development.
Part of the discussion focused on an initiative to come up with a nonpartisan, comprehensive 16-county economic development program based largely on tax base revenue sharing and regional land use.
Lyons referred to a 2007 study that looks at a more cooperative approach in the 16 counties, all of which have seen job and population losses.
Many township and city mayors need to implement such ways of thinking, since a “winner-takes-all” approach is no longer feasible for the region, Lyons noted.
Other benefits of regional thinking include attracting and retaining skilled workers; allowing communities to maintain their unique identities; increasing the number of high-quality jobs; and saving infrastructure dollars, Lyons said.
Youngstown has applied for an $80,000 Local Government Services and Regional Collaboration grant to examine the feasibility of a joint redevelopment program between eight communities in Mahoning and Trumbull counties along the Mahoning River, noted Mamula, who’s also a former mayor of Struthers. The eight are Campbell, Lowellville, Struthers, McDonald, Niles, Warren, Girard and Newton Falls.
This marks the first time such an agreement has been reached between the municipalities, Mamula added.
So far, he continued, the initiative has identified 18 sites along the corridor that need to be evaluated for economic development. Such a powerful plan is also imperative to enhance urban development for making the region more attractive to families and businesses, he noted.
“We cannot sustain sprawl,” Mamula said, adding he also wants to focus on the development of brownfields along the river.
Williams echoed many of the same sentiments, adding that mayors in Pepper Pike in Cuyahoga County, as well as other wealthy Northeast Ohio communities, recognize the importance of seeing connections between their areas and the larger region.
Similarly, cooperation between Youngstown and the rest of the Mahoning Valley must be mutual, Williams added.
A collaborative effort between communities is what many employers look for when deciding where to set up a business, Clebone pointed out.
For her part, Lown called Youngstown “a center for culture,” which is something that needs to be made stronger. Green space along the river corridor should also be taken into account, such as where to have bike trails and parks, for example, she said.
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Mayor Jay was part of the community-cooperation panel? Mr. Community-UNCOOPERATION himself with his JEDD with water for income tax blackmail scheme? He's holding back 350 jobs at Walmart because he wants Youngstown to get 25% of them based on an 20 year old water contract that has long lost it's meaning. Who does he think he's fooling? He's not for community-cooperation unless Youngstown benefits greatly.
Mayor Jay - if you are what you say you are, tell Walmart that they can go ahead and start hiring anyone they want for those 350 jobs without hiring restrictions.
As state revenue-sharing cutbacks worsen, where is the money coming from?
Laws that created the state sales and income taxes decades ago made counties, municipalities and townships the state's partner and promised a big chunk of those revenue streams. The theory: State taxes would hamstring the ability to raise taxes locally, so the state turnback would only be fair.
The partnership proved one-sided. The legislature continually tweaked distribution formulas, chipping away at the turnbacks to solve state funding problems. The tweaks have become outright raids: Since 2001, the General Assembly has siphoned off more than $850 million that was to go to counties, municipalities and townships, according to figures from the Ohio Municipal League.
Why is it that every time I read a paper someone is applying for a grant to examine the feasibility of something? Add up all this money and something could have been done already.
I agree with Tugboat..if it's a good enough idea to appeal
to folks, let private industry know about it with the money
someone is willing to spend to determine "feasability" and then let the marketplace determine if it's feasable or not.
Seems like a procedure like that would get things moving faster or stop more money from being spent on trying to persuade private enterprise that has determined the situation may NOT be "feasable"..
GO JAY! Take back our 200 years of opression from the whitey in the suburbs!
Oldman quit trying to keep my people down!
OldManGrump, Tugboat, where were you last night when you could have been in attendance to be more informed about the issues? You would have heard that these stories about Wal-Mart to which you continue to respond so vituperatively contain quotes obtained by the media from each side before they are even able to talk to each other.
The media pounces on each twist and turn to amplify the discord and keep you riled up. Meanwhile, the application that is in place now is the same one that was in place in 1994 when the Austintown Wal-Mart came into being. Yet Wal-Mart is the one who insists on special treatment. Mayor Williams is following the rules and working to fulfill his duty to his constituents. To do otherwise would be at best a dereliction of his obligations to the city of Youngstown and, at worst, a breach of the legal statutes he is bound to uphold in his office.
It's time we expected businesses to do their due diligence and stop expecting special treatment. Yes, they bring employment. But they're only a business because we bring them the business. They're interested in coming here because they see that we've got the demographics they want. There are rules in place they have to play by, and they need to get in line.
Another thing you would have heard last night from Mayor Williams is that he's fine if JEDDs aren't the solution. He's open to all ideas for regional cooperation and shared equity. But the status quo isn't cutting it. Without cooperation, we're all sinking. So, if you've got other suggestions, let's hear them. But throwing stones is just weighing us all down.
blkpride.... try to speak on the subject at hand... it's only inflamatory to start in with racist remarks. And could you explain how exactly, I(a whitey), have kept you from becoming anything you want to be? And you surely just gave OldMan alot of power by giving him credit for keeping an entire race "down".
Tyler_S._Clark - Mayor Jay only cares about what revenues he can extort from the suburbs for his city. There are no shared revenue benefits that anyone can identify if there was a JEDD in place. I can think of none? I challenge you to name some.
The burbs don't need Youngstown anymore. They are not sinking. My business can survive without an 2.75% income tax adder that gives me nothing in return. What Mayor Jay needs to do is balance his city income with his expenses and layoff all those bloated city employees who are not needed anymore. You know the ones who sit at their positions and wait for the clock to tell them to go home because they have little to do all day while at work. You city employees know who you are.
By the way, any business like Walmart that brings 350 direct jobs to the valley deserves special treatment. It's not like we don't have a 20% real unemplyment rate in the valley with so many already given up hope of ever finding a job. Mayor Jay may just have chased those jobs away forever. Shame on him.
OldManGrump, must every one of your posts be a rant against Mayor Williams? He hasn't been in office long enough to have "chased" anything "away forever." This region's problems are what Mayor Williams inherited, not what he created.
No special treatment for WalMart. We've been begging for a few hundred jobs here and there for 30 years now (ex: the jails/prisons), and it's time to do something different. Those who try, however, are constantly shouted down by the fearful and misinformed, who in all likelihood have never met Mayor Williams or listened to him and therefore cannot accurately speak of what Mayor Williams "only cares about."
Mayor Williams inherited those problems by choice. By choosing to be in this position he is an open target for criticism.
It's yet to be seen whether the suburbs could survive without Youngstown, since they've never had to. But they're not thriving. Boardman can't keep it's fire stations open, and Ausitntown's schools are lucky they can afford to keep offering lunches to their students. And even Poland and Canfield have had their share of budgetary problems. To say nothing of the financial fiascoes taking place in Trumbull County.
In the Mahoning Valley, you can travel 30 miles across two counties without leaving a residential area. This area is a series of cities, villages, and townships from Warren to Lowellville, and to suggest we are better off operating as our own individual empires is insane.
I'm just glad Jay Williams recognizes that regionalization that will benefit everyone -- even those who don't want to cooperate.
George412 - Mayor Jay couldn't get a coalition together with the suburbs now if he got down on his knees and begged Austintown, Boardman, and Liberty to join him in a regionalization plan. He's done nothing but cut any threads that bound them together like water lines with his un-thoughtthru JEDD water for income tax blackmail plan.
Austintown & Boardman will find a new source of water and that will be that. Liberty should go get water fron Niles or Girard in Trumbull County and let Youngstown suffer the losses plus let them get the 350 jobs Walmart would create plus the additional jobs in the businesses that locate near the Walmart location.
Mayor Jay has now pulled the little life support Y-town has left and regionalization will never happen.
Austintown Schools are a damn sight better than Y-town schools. I'd pay triple the cost of my children's school lunch if they asked me to. At least they are educated my children.... can't be said for Y-town. The suburbs can't survive w/o Y-town..... how exactly are they "supporting" us now?
off topic, but
Did Youngstown Ohio mayor Jay Williams run on a platform of change as did a certain current Democrat presidential candidate?
What kind of change did the mayor lead Youngstown Ohio into?
Have we seen a certain Democrat presidential candidate closely associating himself with Youngstown Ohio mayor Jay Williams? If not, why not since the candidate has been spending an inordinate amount of face time in the Valley?
oops misspelling.... "educating"
Mimi, I never said that Mayor Williams, as a public figure, was above scrutiny, but do I oppose inaccuracy and constant( often irrelevant) bashing; these things get us nowhere.
When Mayor Williams spoke at the UU Church last week, he alluded to conversations he'd been having with (gasp) suburban political leaders, and it was a far different story than the one we've been hearing. Depending on media sound bites does not make one informed.
I like it when people know what they're talking about. I'm picky that way.
BLKpride:"Oldman quit trying to keep my people down!"
The only people keeping your people are down are themselves!
As for the school issue by city dweller. Look at the school state report cards in the districts. All those schools you listed are leaps and bounds above Youngstown City schools. They will find ways to fund their schools. But will Youngstown City ever find a way to give the city children a good education? I feel for all those who work in the city and have to send their children to those schools. I think it is terrible that they make people with city jobs live within city limits!
Ok, George, educate me on Mayor Williams. What has he brought to Y-town? How has he not alienated the suburbs? I agree with you that bashing get us nowhere. However, OldMan is entitled to feel and say whatever he pleases.... it's his opinion.
Mimi, it's not my responsibility to educate you. You wouldn't pay attention if I tried. It's clear that you don't have any intentions of hearing opinions that might differ from your own. That's why you will remain ignorant.
I live in the suburbs. I fully understand the fears associated with regionalization. I own a home. My children attend public schools. I've also read the 2010 plan, and I've studied the effects of regionalization in other metropolitan areas. I didn't ask anyone to educate me; I educated myself. It's my responsibility as a citizen to do so.
You might stop misrepresenting my posts. I never said Old Man didn't have a right to his opinion, and I have the right point out where it's inaccurate or uninformed. We all have rights. There are some of us who are trying to maintain some kind of intelligent dialogue here. Old Man making the inflamatory statements about "Mayor Jay" over and over in an attempt to shut everyone else down isn't leading anywhere. It's beyond ridiculous.
Wow! George, I was really asking for some more information. I am absolutely open to another point of view. One of the ways I do educate myself is from other informed people. On the note of responsibility.... it's not my responsibility to give a damn about Y-town, but I was willing to learn something from you. I have responsibilites to my children and my family, not to Y-town. I, too, own a home in the suburbs, have two children and like most people am resistant to change. I haven't seen anyhting that gives me hope for Y-town. Everyday there is something new to dishearten me on Y-town's future.I truly was hoping to gain something from your response. All I learned from that last post is that your an a**. Honestly, if truth be told I do read your posts and try to see your point of view even if it differs from mine. Thanks for showing me your crappy attitude... it's much appreciated. I'll know in the future to not bother with you.
George, another thing, you should try to stay on point as well and leave the insults for the less educated, unlike yourself.
Mimi, I didn't intend to insult you, but rather, I was pointing out that in your posts, you come across as ignorant (which merely means uninformed...look it up), and not open any discussion how Youngstown might once again prosper. You say that you "don't give a damn" about Youngstown, and you consistently bash the city and stand up for other city bashers. The things that could give you hope about the city are all around you-- published in this paper, reported in the news, discussed in community forums. Read, listen, attend, and then you may find hope. If you want to truly educate yourself, you may have to step out from behind the computer.
Another thing, you seem to take these threads far too personally.
George, I 'll give you that I do take it personally. I have many ideas about Y-town. You would probably not like them. I lived in Y-town for years.... I put my home up for sale the day after a neighbor's house had a gun unloaded into it from the street. This was in Brownlee Woods! Their are still nice areas of Y-town, West Side, Cornersburg, etc. The problem is it gets smaller and smaller everyday. My husband spent his entire life in Y-town, grew up on Canfield Road and attended St. Christine's and then Mooney. I have lived in other metro areas, so I do truly understand there are problems that cannot be fixed over night. I'd like to see Y-town residents take the initiative.... pack meeting halls.... police their neighborhoods, demand better education for their children, etc. My whole point is Y-town residents needs to care first and foremost. Once that happens, more will follow(meaning people in the surrounding suburbs). I'll have hope once some of things goals are met. I also am not entirely opposed to an agreement between A-town and Y-town, as long as both parties gain something of equal value. I do not believe that everyone and everything is bad in Y-town..... unfortunately, the bad is reported far more often than the good. I have actually heard what you have said and I will truly try to look at Y-town from your perspective in the future. Thank you for pointing out what I have not been seeing(sincerely).
George, one more thing.... I work with the elderly and have a huge weakness in my heart for them.... that is probably why I defend OldMan. I wish he had something positive to say every once in awhile..... I try to let him go on as he wishes. I listen to about half of what he says. I just wish that instead a name calling and the like, people responding to him would just focus on his error in thinking. And if he gets going on the Y-town sucks rant, let it go.... anyone that is here knows that is his standard line.
Mimi,
I grew up in Brownlee Woods, and I miss the old neighborhood. I see your point about OldMan, but I'm not going to assume that he actually is an old man, addled, or whatever, exempt from commentary. Still, I admire your highroad response here.
George412 & Mimi - I use to live on the westside of Youngstown near Cheney HS & the Mill Creek Park Par 3 golf course in on of those post WWII cape cods with a postage stamp lot when I was growing up and graduating twice from YSU. That was the time of Tony Flask & Jack Hunter, and a wonderful Youngstown City. Taxes were low and the westside area was safe to walk after dark if you wanted to do it. No more. I moved to A-town to be near my buysiness interests. Now all I see and hear about Y-town is negative plus Mayor Jay is doing nothing positive to return to those good old days. His 2010 vision plan is in failure before 2010. Thousands of abandoned homes in the city. Crime is rampent on the streets in the middle of the day with open gun fights. Population is under 74,000 and headed downward even more. The city budget is bloated with un-needed city workers who do nothing all day by their own admissions from those I have talked to. His regionalization plan is now just blackmail the suburbs till they give into big Y-town financial needs. You cannot defend him.
I challenge you or anyone else to name some positives I would say are good for Youngstown, and I don't mean public works projects like the Chevy Centre or Federal Court House because those were bought and paid for by public money. Remember being old is not feable, being old is being experienced and smart, and knowing when something isn't right.
OldMan.... I can't argue with most of your post. I agree there are too many city employees doing far too little. There are abandoned homes, their schools are a mess, crime is out of control, and the JEDD he proposed in my opinion was not going to be of any benefit to A-town. That being said, it's 2008.... there is time to start a turn-a-round. Many people come up with flawed ideas and have to re-work that idea until it succeeds.... what's the harm in waiting to see if he can come up with a mutually beneficial plan for Y-town and the suburbs? One positive that you have personally used would be YSU.... they have outstanding programs! I never said you were feable... your are however very set on your point of view and I rarely see you acknowledge the validity of anyone elses. Do you have any ideas on where to start to correct the path Y-town is on? You have mentioned you are a successful businessman, so maybe something you have done would be of use.
Old Man, I don't think you are feeble, that's why I don't have a problem calling you out. I'm not taking your bait about Mayor Williams, but I know you'll keep on fighting. LOL. I agree with Mimi that it would be nice to see you offer up a solution once in a while.
As my posting name indicates, I do live in the city and have my whole life. I attended Wilson in the years immediately following South's closure and came out with an education that prepared me for college and grad school.
I live in the city now, on the South Side. And my son plays in the yard, I have friendly neighbors, and my car is usually unlocked in the driveway. I feel safe. When I drive home from downtown, sometimes I go up Market Street, sometimes South Avenue, and sometimes Oak Hill. I've driven down nearly every street at one time or another, and I see families cutting grass and planting flowers, kids riding bikes, and people sitting on the front porch talking with neighbors.
But yes, I also see blighted housing and once-beautiful homes stripped of their siding and windows. I've heard gunshots in the distance, and yes, somtimes I drive through Boardman and think about how nice it would be to live in an area that is so well-maintained. But leaving the city's problems to be handled by those least equipped to do so isn't going to solve anything. Youngstown's problems were caused by a mass exodus of people fleeing to the suburbs. The city has lost 100,000 residents. Any way you slice it, that's a lot of abandoned homes, and there just weren't and aren't enough people to fill them.
City, you're right. My parents moved us out of the city in 1980. I love and respect my parents, but I can't deny that their views on the city and on urban residents influenced my thinking for a long time.
I bought my house in Boardman eight years ago before I'd really developed an understanding of the effects of urban sprawl and white flight. We had a baby. We heard gunshots and saw drug deals every day outside of our apartment. We were concerned about schools. We thought the solution was to buy a home in the burbs. Knowing what I've know now about Youngstown and the suburbs, I'd do things differently. I wouldn't let fear rule my choice. I'd stay in the city.
pardon my typos.
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