Jay Williams wins; now the work begins

Jay Williams wins; now the work begins
Jay Williams has won what could be the second hardest job in the United States. Not only has he been elected mayor of Youngstown, he was elected on a promise of a new beginning and an expectation that his administration will truly make a difference in the future of this city.
The result has to be a surprise -- especially for someone making his first run for public office. In a six person race, Williams didn't just win, he captured a majority of the vote.
For weeks, this had clearly been a two-man race: Williams vs. Bob Hagan, a veteran state representative and state senator with a strong political name in the area and the Democratic nomination behind him. The other four candidates were expected to siphon off a few percentage points here and there, leaving a race that even veteran political observers were saying was too close to call Tuesday morning.
Williams not only won. He beat Hagan by nearly 2,500 votes and got more votes than all of the other candidates combined.
That victory, and the way he put it together is not only a blessing, but potential curse.
It gives Williams -- to borrow a phrase -- political capital. He can, under the circumstance, claim a mandate.
On the other hand, history shows that political capital is easily squandered. Williams is going to have any number of constituencies pecking at him, each claiming that it delivered the victory.
He must have the discipline and the self-assurance to tell those trying to grab a piece of him to step away. He may not have been elected by all the people of Youngstown -- only a commanding majority. But he is mayor of all Youngstowners.
Williams acknowledged that in a brief interview Tuesday night. He said the only thing he owes anyone is good government, and he owes that to all the people. "I am not a career politician," he said, adding that he has nothing to lose.
He said he appreciates the support he received from all quarters, but added: "If anyone thinks they have a piece of me, they are going to be sorely disappointed."
That declaration of independence, couple with Hagan's statement that he is "ready to work with Jay Williams ... to work together to make this a better city," puts Williams on the right track.
The first order of business will be to buiild a cabinet. Having been a cabinet member himself as director of community development, he has an inside view of what works and what doesn't. But putting together a cabinet is not a one-man-job.
A screening committee of business and civic leaders representing all segments of community would help him put together a list of potential candidates who could serve the new mayor and the city well.
The work Williams does between now and January putting together the best team possible will have an enormous bearing on his success or lack of it during the next four years.
A mayor can only be as strong as the people around him. And Williams will need enormous strength as he tackles:
UThe need to preserve jobs that are in the city now and attract new ones (which is tied in part to the city's having the highest municipal income tax in the state)
ULooming contract negotiations with city employees at a time when private employees are facing concessions that public employees seem intent on resisting.
UReorganizing the police department and instituting a police of zero tolerance for crime.
UContinuing the improvement downtown.
USpearheading neighborhood redevelopment.
And that is just a short list.
Williams says has four years to prove that the citizens of Youngstown made the right choice. We think they did. But time will tell -- based on the decisions Jay Williams began making about 9 p.m. Tuesday, once he knew beyond doubt that he would be Youngstown's next mayor.