YOUNGSTOWN Mayor opposes proposal to end CIC contract

CIC is proposing an $8 million addition to the Voinovich center.
By PETER H. MILLIKEN and ROGER SMITH
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITERS
YOUNGSTOWN -- City council wants to dissolve its contract with downtown's redevelopment agency, the Youngstown Central Area Community Improvement Corp.
But Mayor George McKelvey doesn't see that happening.
McKelvey, who leads the three-member board of control that handles city contracts, said this morning he doesn't intend to end the deal.
Council passed a nonbinding resolution of intent to kill the contract by a 6-0 vote Wednesday. An ordinance authorizing the control board -- the mayor, law director and finance director -- to dissolve the contract is to go before council June 16.
McKelvey said he will lobby council members to drop the ordinance, or at least persuade a majority to vote against it.
Such a move sends the wrong message at the wrong time, jeopardizing a proposed $8 million addition to the George V. Voinovich Government Center and 130 jobs new to downtown, he said.
"They must have overlooked that," McKelvey said.
He said there was no warning of the move and he was shocked it came up.
So was Councilman Artis Gillam Sr., D-1st and CIC vice president, who missed the meeting. Gillam, who was in Columbus for a grandchild's graduation, said he had no idea why council chose to take up the issue now.
"It would not make any sense at all even to have the idea of dissolving the CIC," he said. "Why? Why at this time? I'm very upset with that."
Under the contract, the city pays about $120,000 annually to the Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber to oversee the CIC, said council President John R. Swierz.
If the ordinance passes, it would end city funding for the CIC. The city can't abolish the agency, however, Swierz explained. The city provides CIC with some funding, but the agency also derives rent and parking lot income from properties it owns, Swierz said.
When he was 7th Ward Councilman, Swierz co-sponsored legislation with Ron Sefcik, D-4th, to dissolve the contract with CIC in November 2001. The legislation went to council's finance committee.
Councilmen, unhappy with the amount of activity generated by CIC, then agreed to give the agency six months to produce more results. Swierz added that, when he represented the 7th Ward, he believed CIC hadn't been sufficiently productive.
In CIC's defense
Some CIC board members -- which include several council members and the board of control -- have argued in the past that lacking city funding and little demand for the buildings hindered redevelopment.
They also point to numerous successes, from salvaging some rundown buildings to demolition of the old Higbee building and later erecting the Voinovich Center.
What's happening
CIC is in the midst of proposing an $8 million addition to the Voinovich Center for the state Bureau of Workers' Compensation and the Mahoning County Children Services Board.
"These are very positive things," said Gillam. "It would not be wise for us to dissolve the contract with CIC."
Gillam said a few council members still might not realize the CIC is beneficial.
Council's action came on the eve of a CIC executive committee meeting to discuss the CIC executive director's position. CIC is expected to announce the hiring of a new director at that meeting.
The chamber fired the previous director, Robin Rogers, in March. She is the subject of an investigation in which police have subpoenaed bank records in the theft of 16 checks totaling more than $39,000 from CIC.
McKelvey recently proposed establishing a new CIC centered on the proposed arena and hotel-conference center project downtown, similar to the Gateway Development Corp. in Cleveland, which was used to build Gund Arena and Jacobs Field.
Last week, McKelvey voiced his support for the agency to counter the perception that the proposed new CIC is meant to undercut the current board.