Correspondent photo / Sean Barron Youngstown Mayor Derrick McDowell delivers the keynote address at the Youngstown Press Club’s annual dinner and meeting Monday at Stambaugh Auditorium.

YOUNGSTOWN — When it comes to reclaiming its identity, the city is like a seven-course meal, but in need of a chef to bring it all together, the top leader says.

“This city has more than other cities, but we do less,” Mayor Derrick McDowell said.

McDowell was the keynote speaker for the Youngstown Press Club’s annual dinner and meeting Monday evening at Stambaugh Auditorium.

Sponsoring the three-hour gala were Farmers National Bank and Stambaugh Auditorium, as well as Denise and John York and the DeBartolo Corp.

A primary theme that has coursed through McDowell’s campaign for and time as mayor has been reclaiming Youngstown’s identity, which, he said, has long been defined by the three “M’s: murder, the mills and the mob.” Nevertheless, sheer ingenuity brought the birth of steel to the Mahoning Valley; entrepreneurship helped the industry be part of the city’s identity, he said.

Even though organized crime brought certain benefits to some, in the grander picture, the mob’s presence defined Youngstown’s identity to a greater degree than most people knew — especially those who may have forgotten that at the same time, crime and debauchery were also undermining and robbing the city of a positive identity, McDowell said.

It’s important for Youngstown to honor its past, but also to nourish the spirit of working toward building more businesses while cultivating a richer, thorough and expansive identity centered on the city’s entrepreneurship, arts, diverse cultures, entertainment, infrastructure and athleticism, the mayor added. Specifically, McDowell alluded to Mill Creek MetroParks, more than 30 ethnic neighborhoods in the city with their own identities, the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre, the Youngstown Symphony Orchestra and the Jackie Robinson-George Shuba statue and memorial in Wean Park that commemorates the handshake between the two baseball legends.

“I don’t have to run them all down, because they’re already there,” he said about what he feels are among the city’s virtues.

MEDIA CRITICISM

The media plays a pivotal role in shaping others’ perceptions, images and narratives regarding the city. In some instances, however, stories and headlines have continued to paint or reinforce for some people certain negative assumptions that have persisted for decades, such as Youngstown as a crime-ridden metropolis, McDowell said. To that end, he gave the example of a media headline that mentioned a Youngstown doctor being accused of sexual assault — even though his practice was in Canfield and he lived in Boardman.

Part of that lingering negativity also was evident when McDowell spoke with someone from out of town about what he saw as the city’s many gems — without initially revealing where he was referring — which elicited great excitement in the person. When McDowell mentioned that he was talking about Youngstown, the person’s response and reaction changed dramatically, he recalled.

To make the point that some reporters sometimes write many of the same type of stories, some people still negatively associate McKelvey Lake on the East Side as being a dumping ground for dead bodies, McDowell said, adding that some stories also are produced by journalists who stay a short time and “who don’t know who we are.”

Such negativity persists in people’s minds, he said. For example, Youngstown State University has an enrollment of about 13,000, including 10% international students, many of whom “cut their teeth” on Youngstown, but also are eager to leave largely because of what they read, he continued.

McDowell advised those in the media, in some instances, to dig more deeply for their stories, include further important nuances and be sure what they print is contextualized while upholding high standards of truthfulness, accuracy and fairness.

The mayor also said that being independent is more than his party affiliation; the term also reflects how he tries to conduct himself in office. Specifically, McDowell said he is neither beholden to the media nor sees it as a filter through which to disseminate his plans, goals and ideas, but is more than willing to work with reporters who seek him, he added.

At one point during the question-and-answer portion, McDowell apologized if he offended or “scolded” anyone after having drawn criticism from some in the audience who said he often doesn’t answer calls, as well as for comments he made in his presentation that some took to mean he wanted the media to focus more on his perceptions of, and advocations and vision for, the city rather than performing their duties as unbiased and objective reporters.

During his remarks Monday, the mayor also focused on another of his top priorities.

“I owe this community transparency,” he said.

LAST YEAR’S ACHIEVEMENTS

Also at the dinner and meeting, Diane Laney Fitzpatrick, the press club’s executive director, ticked off a series of highlights and achievements in 2025.

Inducted into the YPC’s Hall of Fame were Tony Paglia, former regional editor with The Vindicator; Marie Cartwright, vice president of corporate communications for DeBartolo Properties Management Inc.; the late Paul Jagnow, The Vindicator’s managing editor for news; Lisa Solley, former managing editor with the Tribune Chronicle; and the late John Nagy, news director for WKBN-AM 570.

Additional accolades included Excellence in Journalism Awards for Sydney Canty, WFMJ-TV 21 news anchor; Margie Lenhart, radio host and voiceover talent; and Chelsea Simeon, WKBN-TV 27 digital executive producer.

Also, the Medal of Merit Award recipient was Peter Milliken, retired reporter for The Vindicator and the YPC’s head of media relations.

In addition, the press club honored journalists who lost their lives in the line of duty with the World Press Freedom Day Reading of the Names gathering, and awarded three $4,000 scholarships to students in Mahoning, Trumbull or Columbiana counties as well as Lawrence or Mercer counties in Pennsylvania who are pursuing careers in journalism and communications.