| Roy Kojo Jawara ('Jay') Williams | |
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47th Mayor of Youngstown
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 2005 |
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| Born | {September, 1971} Youngstown, Ohio |
| Political party | Independent, was Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Sonja |
| Residence | Youngstown, Ohio |
| Alma mater | Youngstown State University |
| Profession | banking |
Roy Kojo Jawara ('Jay') Williams (born 1971) is the current mayor of Youngstown, Ohio. His election in 2005 gained local and regional media attention because it brought Youngstown its first African-American mayor as well as its first independent mayor since 1922.[1]
He is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalition[2], a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets".[2] The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.[2]
Williams was born and raised on Youngstown's east side. After earning a degree in finance at Youngstown State University, he reportedly turned down job offers from around the country and remained in Youngstown, where he worked with area banks. Williams also served as an examiner for the Federal Reserve Bank in Cleveland.
He eventually left the banking industry to assume directorship of Youngstown's Community Development Agency. There, Williams was instrumental in implementing Youngstown 2010, a citywide redevelopment plan aimed at re-shaping the city and helping to overturn its negative image.[3]
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Mayoral campaign
Williams, who publicly stated on several occasions that he was a "lifelong Democrat", did not run in the April Democratic primary for mayor. On May 3, 2005, he announced his intention to run for mayor as an independent.[1]
Immediately after declaring his mayoral candidacy, Williams became a major contender for the office, along with Democratic nominee Bob Hagan.[1] This development could not have been predicted, given that the 34-year-old Williams was the youngest candidate running. Further, he had no direct political experience. Nevertheless, Williams ran a popular campaign; and as the election neared, he seemed poised to pull ahead of rival Hagan.[1]
On Election Day, November 8, 2005, Williams swept the field of six candidates to seize victory in Youngstown's mayoral race. Despite earlier evidence of a close race, the result shocked observers who had viewed Williams' relative youth and political inexperience as insurmountable objects.[1] While the reasons for the outcome remain unclear, some observers have attributed Williams' successful run to widespread dissatisfaction with the city's traditional leadership.[1]
Dealing With Youngstown's Financial Woes
Once elected Mayor, Jay pushed to create a joint economic development district (J.E.D.D.) with surrounding townships. The townships surrounding Youngstown have resisted economic collaboration even as they themselves have begun to suffer financial decline. Some of the surrounding townships have even gone as far as investigated possible incorporation and formation of their own water district. Many experts say that the townships will find the cost and logistics of such a move untennable. There are other experts who cite the success of JEDD's in others areas of Ohio as a model of success for the Mahoning Valley. Although Jay's efforts to date have met resistance, credible experts believe that Mayor Williams should continue his progressive approach to lead for widespread economic collaboration and benefit for all involved. Since Jay Williams has continued to try to enforce his JEDD in the surrounding townships, the townships of Austintown, Boardman and Canfield have successfully gotten approval to form their own water district, thereby ending Jay's attempt to funnel money from townships he never oversaw in the first place.
References
- ^ a b c d e f Skolnick, David (November 9, 2005). "Community leaders extol mayoral victory". The Vindicator.
- ^ a b c "Coalition Members". Mayors Against Illegal Guns. http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/about/members.shtml. Retrieved 2007-11-11.
- ^ Nasser, Haya El (December 26, 2006). "As older cities shrink, some reinvent themselves". USA TODAY.
External links
- Mayor Jay Williams official blog
- City of Youngstown - Office of the Mayor profile
- Youngstown 2010 - Mayor Jay Williams profile
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