Economic woes not new to Youngstown

By David Skolnick (Contact)

By David Skolnick

Because Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams spoke in great detail during and after a recent chamber breakfast about potential layoffs and his call for most city employees to take a pay cut to avoid job losses, a few interesting issues he also discussed didn’t receive attention.

When discussing the troubled economy and its impact on government operations, Williams said Youngstown is used to dealing with money problems.

“While other areas are panicking and trying to figure out what we do now, we don’t take it for granted, but we say, ‘This is what we do. Welcome to a day in the life of Youngstown, Ohio,’” he said. “Crisis management, unfortunately, is what we’ve had to do for the past 30 years. When you do it for 30 years, you become proficient at it.”

The city’s general fund is facing a $3.39 million deficit and Williams is proposing most city employees take a voluntary 10-percent wage cut by working four fewer hours a week. The wage reduction, he said, would last about 10 to 12 months and would make up the deficit the city faces.

Union resistance

The proposal is meeting with resistance from the city’s unions. Union officials say cuts can be made to the budget and federal economic stimulus money is arriving that will reduce Youngstown’s deficit.

The alternative to the voluntary 10-percent cut is laying off 60 city workers, about half of them from the police department.

Williams says his wage-cut proposal allows city employees to keep their jobs, though at a reduced salary, and maintain their medical and other benefits.

Also, 60 layoffs may not be enough. The city is going to save money with less employees, but there are unemployment benefits that must be paid.

During his speech at the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber’s “Good Morning Youngstown” breakfast, Williams talked about his role on the Clean Ohio Council.

The 14-member council determines who gets Clean Ohio Fund grants and loans. The fund was created in 2002 to provide $400 million to projects such as brownfield property restoration and providing green space conservation.

The city has had some success obtaining money from the state fund. But when you look at how many vacant factories and mills in the city, Youngstown deserves a lot more than it’s received over the years.

Large amounts of the money go to rural and suburban areas represented by Republicans in the state Legislature, and of course, to Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, Ohio’s three largest cities.

“I don’t want to get kicked off before I get started, but you can rest assured that in fulfilling my official role [representing municipalities statewide] that Youngstown, Ohio, and the Mahoning Valley will get our fair share and maybe some more,” he said.

Williams didn’t stop there.

“While we don’t start with the letter C like Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, if the mayor of Youngstown is sitting there, you can rest assured that Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati and Youngstown are going to be the envy of the state as it relates to these resources,” he said.

The Clean Ohio Council comments could turn a few heads.

Some could say Williams went a bit too far, and he knew it by starting with not wanting to get kicked off the council.

Forgotten area

Others can say this area’s been forgotten for far too long by the state and are pleased Williams vowed to not to let that continue.

Williams isn’t going to get tossed off the council no matter what he says.

The mayor is a sure thing to be re-elected this year. Democrats running statewide next year are going to need Williams’ support in one of the state’s most Democratic cities.

At the top of that list are Gov. Ted Strickland, who appointed Williams to the council, and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, who already has the mayor’s endorsement in next year’s U.S. Senate race. Fisher, strongly backed by Strickland, faces a tough primary battle for the Senate seat from Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and needs the support of politicians like Williams. [Yes, Jay, you’re a politician.]