Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown is part of a group of Ohio officials invited to a Sept. 7 event at the White House intended to highlight President Joe Biden’s initiatives.

Ohio is the first state to have a group going to the White House to talk to Biden Cabinet members and other federal officials. Biden, who is a Democrat like Brown, isn’t planning to attend the event.

Among those joining Brown at the White House are the mayors of Cleveland, Akron, Cincinnati and Dayton.

Officials, nearly all of whom are expected to be Democrats, from other states and Puerto Rico will go to the White House at later dates.

Brown was at the White House on May 9 during an announcement by Biden and his administration about discounted high-speed internet access for lower-income families. Brown was among about 175 invited guests.

“I am excited to head back,” Brown said. “It’s a focus on Ohio mayors. We’ll be talking about gun violence, housing issues, the impact the pandemic had on the workforce. Now that we’re on the other side of the pandemic, though it’s still here, we want to talk about workers and focus on not just workers, but getting communities up and running and what normal should look like.”

Brown also wants to discuss the benefits Youngstown has received from the American Rescue Plan, an act opposed by Republicans.

The city received $82,775,370 in ARP funds. Among the ARP money allocated is $10.5 million for park and recreation projects, $8 million to demolish at least 500 of the worst vacant houses in the city and $2,261,119 to replace lead water pipes in a West Side neighborhood.

In a letter last week, Ron Klain, White House chief of staff, wrote that through the fall, “the administration and our allies will launch an aggressive effort to promote the benefits of the president’s accomplishments and the Inflation Reduction Act to the American people and highlight the contrast with congressional Republicans’ vision.”

Republicans all voted against the act.

Klain mentioned declining gas prices — though they’re still considerably higher than when Biden took office — as well as a gun safety law, the infrastructure law and the CHIPS Act.

The CHIPS Act provides $52 billion in subsidies for the semiconductor industry.

Biden will be in Ohio on Sept. 9 for a groundbreaking ceremony for Intel’s new $20 billion semiconductor manufacturing facility in Licking County that will include two factories built by 2025. That project is expected to create 7,000 construction jobs and then 3,000 permanent jobs at the facility, with an average annual salary of $135,000, when it opens in 2025.

dskolnick@vindy.com