YOUNGSTOWN — Three candidates are vying to be the next city council president, a position that is largely ceremonial.

The candidates are Tom Hetrick, a self-employed grant writing and management contractor who won the May Democratic primary; Donald P. Scott, an attorney who narrowly lost the 7th Ward council race two years ago; and Erwin Adams, a home health aide and parking lot attendant.

Scott and Adams are running as independents.

The president runs city council meetings, but doesn’t get a vote.

The president also becomes mayor and fills out the unexpired term if a vacancy occurs. That’s happened once in the city’s history when Jay Williams left in August 2011 to work for the administration of then-President Barack Obama and Charles Sammarone, council president, became mayor.

The job pays $28,117 annually.

Council President DeMaine Kitchen lost the Democratic primary to Hetrick in May and his term expires at the end of this year.

Kitchen was running unopposed, but failed to obtain the needed 50 valid signatures to get his name on the ballot. He was four signatures shy of 50.

So, Kitchen ran as a write-in candidate. His inability to get his name on the ballot led Hetrick and David Lee Pupio to file as write-ins, too.

Hetrick worked as a nutrition educator for Mercy Health-Youngstown for a year, ending this past May when the grant-funded position ended. Before that, he spent more than six years as a neighborhood planner for the Youngstown Neighborhood Development Corp.

Scott is an attorney and a retired city police officer who lost the 7th Ward council race in 2019 as an independent by seven votes to Democratic incumbent Basia Adamczak.

Adams is running for elected office for the first time.

PRIORITIES

If elected, Adams said he will focus his attention on stopping violence, a stronger police presence and encourage the creation of initiatives to keep businesses in the city through a stimulus program.

Adams wants to have community roundtables with police and citizens “so that we are not strangers to each other.”

He also wants to review policies to enhance diversity and inclusion.

Scott said he will donate his salary back to the city through a nonprofit corporation if he wins the president’s race.

Scott’s priorities include “fairly, efficiently and effectively (addressing) the crime issue while supporting safety forces in order to better serve the community,” as well as “fiscal accountability and transparency to constituents while working with businesses and institutions by supporting existing and new projects and initiatives.”

He also wants to work with block watches and neighborhood associations.

Hetrick touted his work in the city during the past 10 years, which allowed him to better understand the issues facing residents in neighborhoods and to prioritize strategies to improve conditions.

“Four primary neighborhood-level issues emerged from years of door-to-door conversations, public meetings and survey responses: housing, infrastructure, safety and healthy food access,” he said. “As president of council, I will use the position to form partnerships with the mayor, council members and Youngstown residents to change policies, leverage funding and address these issues that impact all our neighborhoods.”

Hetrick said one of his goals is “safe, quality, affordable housing for all city residents.”

He also wants to collaborate to prioritize funding and maintenance of city parks as well as streets and sidewalks. Hetrick said he will work for better lighting, blight removal, community policing and youth activities.

“My goal is preventing crime and improving safety for all city residents,” he said.

Hetrick also seeks to work with others to make healthy food more accessible and affordable to residents.