Youthful movement brings about change

YOUNGSTOWN — Accountant Mike Latessa, 27, architect Paul Hagman, 24, and Mahoning County Courthouse assignment officer Phil Kidd, 28, say they all want the same thing: to make their homes in downtown Youngstown.

It’s that desire that inspired their opposition to a city plan to rebuild West Federal Street, trading tree-lined medians for additional parking, they said.

“We want [Federal Street] to be a comfortable place to sit and eat your lunch,” said Hagman.

When a public meeting regarding the project was announced for Aug. 8, the three began planning a demonstration of their opposition:

UKidd used his Web site, defendyoungstown.com, and the email list it has helped him develop, to inform as many as 10,000 people of the issue and the meeting date, he said.

ULatessa organized the group’s petition effort. He linked the document to defendyoungstown.com and other pro-Youngstown blogs.

UHagman co-authored an eight-page “critique” of the city’s plan. It was distributed to everyone who attended Monday’s meeting as well as posted in the blogs.

For more, see Wednesday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com