YOUNGSTOWN — Despite many challenges, Mayor Jamael Tito Brown said during his State of the City address that Youngstown is making great progress.

“Unemployment, gun violence, infant mortality, food insecurity, aging infrastructure are just a few of the ills that hurt our growth and progress,” he said during Thursday’s speech.

But Brown said improvements have been made and he asked those in attendance to work together for the betterment of the city.

Brown said: “Youngstown, I ask you tonight: who are you waiting for? No one’s coming.”

Progress, he said, has to be made by those who live and work in the city.

“The city is strong and you can no longer sit on the sidelines and complain,” he said. “You must do your part” to improve Youngstown.

In the past seven years, more than 2,000 vacant structures in the city have been demolished with efforts underway to build new homes, Brown said.

A number of the initiatives in the city are a direct result of the $82,775,370 Youngstown received in federal American Rescue Plan funding.

That includes $8 million to develop a plan to build new houses and rehabilitate existing structures, $1 million for business facade improvements, $2 million for a small business revolving loan program, $3 million for housing demolitions, $3 million for a citywide roof replacement program, $2 million toward land acquisition for community and economic development projects,and $10.5 million for city parks and recreation efforts.

“There’s more to come (for the city), but here’s what we’ve done,” Brown said after the speech. “A lot of things are moving forward.”

This was Brown’s second State of the City address this year as he gave one March 30 as part of the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber’s Good Morning, Youngstown breakfast. Brown said Thursday’s event at the DeYor Performing Arts Center’s Ford Family Recital Hall was more formal and the first one like it since 2019.

NEW LAW DIRECTOR

Also Thursday, Brown introduced Lori Shells-Simmons, a longtime assistant Mahoning County prosecutor, as the city’s next law director, effective Jan. 1.

Shells-Simmons is succeeding Jeff Limbian, who resigned Tuesday after nearly six years as law director.

In the past two years, the relationship between Brown and Limbian, which was very close for a long time, became strained.

Shells-Simmons, who was named senior attorney in January at the prosecutor’s office, declined Thursday to discuss her appointment.

Brown said he’s tried for some time to get her to join the city and with Limbian’s resignation, he asked her to replace him.

Brown said: “I’ve known her, I’ve known her work style and her ethics and I used to always said, ‘Hey, when you get ready I’ve got a spot for you at the city,’ and I truly meant that. When this issue came up with Limbian resigning, I said, ‘Hey, what better time?'”

Until Shells-Simmons joins the law department in January, Lou D’Apolito, an assistant law director and retired county common pleas court judge, will continue serving as interim law director, Brown said.

Brown added: “We’ve got some other surprises in the bag about people who say they’ll come to work for us as well.”

dskolnick@vindy.com