Voting for Change

By Tyler S. Clark

Youngstown is ever what it was, albeit in miniature, Steel is still manufactured, just not inside the city limits, theatres are still bustling, just not as frequently, and you don't have to look hard to see Jim Traficant's lieutenants still wielding influence, though we're one down there, too. (More on this in a moment.) 

Youngstown 2010, the Youngstown Business Incubator, and Kelly Pavlik have recently brought us a new reputation from the steel-bust-/Mafia-corrupt-/Trafficant-crooked-image it has been so convenient for the media to latch on to. The newest incarnation of the City Council has seen more changes that square with positive change.

Philly the Kidd

Phil Kidd, who once stood in the middle of Market Street with a sign saying "Defend Youngstown," and has since spread that message by word of mouth, T-shirt, Web site, and through partnership with Team Pavlik, has, to the city's collective sigh of relief, taken over for Claire Maluso as Director of Events, Special Projects, and Community Outreach. Looking back, over Ms. Maluso's tenure, I'm sure some laudable accomplishments can be found, but grave problems with her approach were flagrant. And what else should one expect from Traficant's economic development specialist?

Maluso's Rule #1: It's not about what's good for the city; it's about what's good for Claire. If the idea didn't come from Claire, you might as well forget about it. Stories were legion where people would try to get events to happen downtown, but if you needed the city's help, couldn't make it happen on your own, and couldn't convince Claire it was her idea, you were out of luck. 

Maluso's Rule #2: It's Claire's way or no way. Claire once threatened a business man who dared to take an opposing view to hers regarding the city's plans for a downtown project. Knowing part of his business was moving downtown within the next few years, she issued a clear warning: don't cross me on this or the city will not help your business.

I'll throw in one more Maluso debacle: Oktoberfest 2007. We heard the Children's Museum of the Valley was having an open house for Halloween with tons of activities for the kids. We had a wonderful time collecting candy and making our way through the museum. Early in our visit, we encountered Claire, handing out flyers for Oktoberfest, which was a few blocks away, on West Federal Street. "Wunderbar!" we thought. We didn't realize there was so much going on today, as we had heard nothing about the Oktoberfest celebration anywhere on the blogs or by e-mail or in the paper or on TV. We walked over to West Federal to discover that the only ones who were aware of it, as apparent by the hundred empty chairs, were the band. 

What an embarrassment to see this event next to the great turnout for so many events downtown that are appropriately advertised, from Children's Museum Spooktakular to the Jazzfest to the Italianfest. It just gives unwarranted ammunition to those who refuse to see anything but gloom in the downtown's present and future.

So, Phil Kidd was already out successfully getting people excited about downtown events through e-mails, blogs, Web sites, phone calls, word of mouth while he was working in the courts. Now he's got access to even more resources, and I can't wait to see what Oktoberfest 2008 looks like! 

Transparency

What goes on in City Hall? David Skolnick, Vindicator politics writer, is no longer our only window inside. Mayor Williams maintains a blog and reports his thoughts periodically. Phil Kidd has started an official blog for his new job that details basically all of his action items. Now THAT's open government! Blogs are not a panacea for poor governance, of course, but they are representative of a mindset that demonstrates openness and responsibility to the public that put them there and pays their salaries. It's about dialogue.

UPDATE 2/25: Fifth Ward Councilman Paul Drennan has added a blog.

The March 4 Primaries are another opportunity for us to continue to foster this youth movement, nourish this vision of hope, and change the equation of power so the balance is in favor of the people, not the politician.

A candidate to watch and support is Eric Ungaro. Eric visited me in my home several weeks ago, and we chatted at length about his background and experience and his heroes and mentors. Given the seat he's running for currently, occupied by Anthony Traficanti, Eric is another man to support. Once Eric is elected, Traficanti can join Maluso out to pasture working back on Traficant's farm[1].

Down to the Wire

Ohio, with Texas, is shaping up to be a deciding force in the Democratic presidential race. It is fitting that the next president should visit Youngstown on Presidents Day. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are both paying more than lip service and putting boots on the ground here.

For his part, there has not been a candidate as thrilling as Obama in my lifetime. He is exciting and inspiring young American voters across the country to engage and to hope for a future that has looked increasingly bleak over the past several years. Engagement, awareness, dialogue between the government and the people, particularly youth, are essential ingredients in a vital democracy. Ohio and Youngstown have a chance to play an important role in ensuring its health at the local and national levels on March 4. 

When we vote for candidates that place power in the hands of the people and not in those of their pals or the military, when we engage youth and ward off apathy, encouraging social education, more eyes are open, our officials are held accountable, and economic growth is shared not hoarded.

[1] One of the more humorous exposés from the Jim Traficant trial: "Traficant was convicted on one count during his corruption trial that he had three staffers — Anthony Traficanti, George Buccella and Richard Rovnak — do manual labor on his family farm in Greenford when they were on the clock as federal employees." – Skolnick, David. "Are Rep's Two New Staff Members Doing Job for Which They Were Hired?" The Vindicator 24 Jul. 2002