Businessman says he’s ready to become mayor | News, sports, jobs

YOUNGSTOWN – Derrick McDowell has never run for political office, but says he’s ready to be Youngstown’s next mayor.

McDowell, founder of the Youngstown Flea, said he wants to run for independent mayor next year because: “I have been aware of the very persistent and urgent calls for change coming from our community that must be answered now.”

McDowell said: “I will continue to advocate for small businesses, taxpayer accountability, protecting our city and addressing neighborhood issues. It is time to bring hope to those in despair.”

McDowell and John White, who wanted to run for mayor in 2021 and did not qualify, both said they will seek office as independent candidates next year.

Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, a Democrat, said he will run for his third four-year term in 2025.

McDowell said he is choosing to run as an independent candidate because he does not want to be tied to either political party. McDowell last voted in a Democratic primary in 2021.

‘I want to talk about how differently we can do things’ McDowell said. “The current mayor must be accountable for his own track record.”

McDowell said that as an activist and small business owner he has worked to improve the quality of life in Youngstown and that as mayor he can make bigger changes.

‘We need something different’ McDowell said. “We must address the challenges we face. We must reclaim our identity. Poverty, crime, education, employment and changes in economic development lie ahead.”

In the past, McDowell has helped organize events on Black Monday – September 19, 1977 – the day Youngstown Sheet and Tube closed its Campbell Works steel mill, causing massive job losses and the beginning of the closure of other industrial plants in the area caused.

“We have lost an identity with the closure of the steel mills and we need to create a new one,” he said. “Our quality of life is directly affected by how we see ourselves. This won’t be easy, but I’m ready to take on the challenge.”

McDowell said his “Reclaiming our identity” campaign platform would recover “exactly who we are, with the clear vision to know exactly where we are going. Never again can we allow anyone to own our story. It’s time for us to step back and tell our own story.”

McDowell founded the Youngstown Flea, a market for local vendors and artists, in October 2015 and moved into a former industrial building at 365 E. Boardman St. in 2021.

McDowell resigned Oct. 15 as community engagement and inclusion coordinator for the city-owned Wean Park Complex – Wean Park, the Covelli Center, Youngstown Foundation Amphitheater and Huntington Bank Community Alley. He has held this position since May 2019.