YOUNGSTOWN — Councilman Julius Oliver is definitely running for mayor and heavily leaning toward filing as a Democrat to challenge incumbent Jamael Tito Brown in that party’s primary.

“I’ve got petitions for both” Democrat and independent, Oliver, D-1st Ward said. “My team this weekend is meeting, and I’ll have a final decision by Monday.”

He added: “I’m gauging the people and seeing what they want. As far as the citizens are concerned, they want me to run as a Democrat, and I listen to the people. I’m 100 percent for what the people want. Most likely I’m going to run as a Democrat.”

Those wanting to run in the May 4 Democratic or Republican primaries have until Wednesday to file nominating petitions with the Mahoning County Board of Elections. Independent candidates have until May 3, the day before the primaries, to file.

As of Friday, no one has submitted nominating petitions for Youngstown mayor.

But Brown said he will file Monday or Tuesday as a Democrat and is proud of what he’s accomplished in his first four-year term as mayor.

Brown was elected mayor in 2017, beating incumbent John A. McNally in the Democratic primary by 5.68 percent and then won a five-person general election. In the general election, Brown won by 1.79 percent over Sean McKinney, a former city buildings and grounds commissioner, who finished second.

Brown is a former city school board member, 3rd Ward councilman and council president. He lost the 2013 Democratic primary to McNally by 2.16 percent.

Oliver, a frequent critic of Brown, was elected in 2019 to his second four-year term on council.

Meanwhile, Tracey Winbush, a Republican member of the Mahoning County Board of Elections, said she will turn in nominating petitions to run in the GOP primary Tuesday.

Once the board certifies her candidacy, she said she will resign from the elections board, which is required under state law.

Winbush is a former city school board member who lost the 2003 election for city council president as a Republican.

Winbush is president of the Ohio Black Republicans Association, a former Ohio Republican Party treasurer and state central committeewoman, former vice chairman of the county Republican Party and was President Donald Trump’s 2016 Mahoning County coordinator.

Also, Louis Mosco, a former city Human Relations Commission minority business manager and fair employment investigator who later became a general manager for a car-leasing company in Columbus, said he’s running as an independent.

Mosco, who acknowledges he’s the underdog in the race, said he’s going to focus on bringing business to the city, addressing issues with safety forces and providing programs for younger people if he’s elected.

dskolnick@tribtoday.com