YOUNGSTOWN – Mayor-elect Derrick McDowell made his final three department head selections: retaining the parks and recreation director, promoting a city employee to run buildings and grounds, and naming a new downtown events and special projects director.

McDowell said: “Coming to the end of this transition selection process is truly just the beginning for the city of Youngstown.”

McDowell said: “Assembling the key leadership team that will take us into the next leg of the city’s legacy has now come to a close, but together we begin the work of reclaiming our identity and driving towards the results that every resident and all 33 neighborhoods here deserve.”

McDowell retained Clemate Franklin as the parks and recreation director. Outgoing Mayor Jamael Tito Brown appointed Franklin to the position in October 2022.

McDowell selected Mike Drummond as the new buildings and grounds commissioner to replace Kevin Flinn, who held the job since February 2018.

Drummond has spent the past 11 years working as the city’s traffic engineer and signal superintendent. In that job, he supervises the operations of traffic maintenance, signals and signage.

McDowell named David Labra as the next downtown events and special projects director.

Labra is a founding member of the Labra Brothers band and has spent the last 10 years working in the music business.

Labra will replace Melanie Clarke-Penella, hired by Brown in May 2022. Before that appointment, the job was vacant since January 2020.

Flinn and Clarke-Penella were at-will employees, so they will leave the city’s payroll at the end of the month.

McDowell on Nov. 25 named Jonathan Huff, civil service administrator, as chief of staff; retained Kyle Miasek as finance director; and promoted Adam Buente to law director from deputy law director.

The mayor-elect, who takes office Jan. 1, on Dec. 12 promoted Detective Sgt. Sharon Cole to police chief and Capt. Courtney Kelly to fire chief.

McDowell announced Monday that DeMaine Kitchen would be his community planning and economic development department director and that he was retaining Harry L. Johnson III as water commissioner, Michael Durkin as code enforcement and blight remediation superintendent and Charles Shasho as deputy director of public works. Shasho’s appointment is on an interim basis.

McDowell will be sworn in at 1 p.m. Jan. 1 during a ceremony at East High School’s main auditorium, 474 Bennington Ave.