Staff photo / R. Michael Semple Youngstown Mayor Elect Derrick McDowell, center, is all smiles as he talks with supporter Maria Salreno of Youngstown, right, and his wife, Nettie McDowell, as the votes came in election night.

YOUNGSTOWN — Mayor-elect Derrick McDowell needs a few more days to decide who will serve as his chief of staff, law director and finance director.

McDowell said earlier this week that he planned to make those announcements Friday with the caveat that he couldn’t “guarantee that we will have the final answer for each of those positions by” that date.

McDowell said Friday, “Those efforts remain a work in progress. The intricacies of the selection process dictate that I carry my previously announced Phase 1 work into next week.”

McDowell said he expects to have decisions on those three positions by Tuesday.

McDowell conducted formal interviews with Kyle Miasek, the current finance director, and Lori Shells Simmons, the current law director.

Nikki Fields, the current chief of staff, and community planning and economic development (CPED) department director, declined to be interviewed.

Fields said, “My immediate focus is, and will remain, working to ensure a smooth transaction for the incoming administration.”

McDowell said Friday he’s looking “inside city hall and outside city hall” for a chief of staff.

McDowell will start Jan. 1 as mayor.

Law director, chief of staff, and community planning and economic development department director are all at-will positions chosen by the mayor.

Miasek has civil service protection that would move him back to deputy finance director if McDowell chooses not to retain him.

Miasek was hired in early 2006 as deputy finance director by Jay Williams when he served as a mayor. Miasek was deputy finance director during two other mayoral administrations. When Jamael Tito Brown took over in January 2018, he named Miasek as interim finance director without a deputy. It wasn’t until March 2021 that Miasek was officially named finance director.

Fields was hired as chief of staff and CPED director in September 2019. Shells Simmons started in January 2024 as law director.

McDowell said he would conduct formal interviews next week with police Chief Carl Davis and fire Chief Barry Finley.

McDowell said he’s spoken to the two and both want to retain their positions. The incoming mayor said he has also heard from others interested in the jobs.

Davis and Finley retired and were rehired by Brown, so if McDowell decides to replace either or both, they would no longer work for the city.

Davis was promoted in January 2021 to police chief. Davis, who’s been with the police department since 1986, retired May 5 and Brown rehired him two days later.

Brown selected Finley as fire chief in February 2018. Finley, who’s been with the city fire department since 1993, retired March 15 and was rehired three days later.

McDowell said he wants to decide on the two chief positions by Dec. 12.

“I remain committed to the challenge of building a key leadership team that will take this city forward,” McDowell said. “Doing so requires we thoroughly examine, evaluate and exhaust all efforts to arrive at the most competent and qualified choices.”

Other at-will employees hired by Brown include Kevin Flinn, buildings and grounds commissioner; Michael Durkin, code enforcement and blight remediation superintendent; Clemate Franklin, parks and recreation director; Melanie Clarke-Penella, downtown events and citywide special projects coordinator; as well as numerous secretaries for various department heads.

McDowell said he remains focused on “announcing a leadership team that is ready to govern when I take office on Jan. 1.”

McDowell was the first independent candidate since Williams in 2005 to be elected Youngstown mayor.

McDowell beat Brown, a two-term incumbent Democrat, by 876 votes – 4,654 to 3,778. McDowell received 55.18% of the vote to 44.79% for Brown.