Mamula reflects on years as mayor

The whole journey has been about redefining Struthers.

By WILLIAM K. ALCORN

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

STRUTHERS — “I love this city,” said outgoing Mayor Daniel C. Mamula, looking around his city hall office, the walls mostly bare of the maps and plaques and photos accumulated during 16 years in office.

“I love the people. They are tough and gritty. Despite the controversies and squabbles, it’s family,” said Mamula, who moved here in 1969 from Lowellville. He started teaching at Struthers High School in 1965.

Since then, Mamula, 64, has had two full careers: 31 years as a teacher, having retired in 1996; and 26 years as an elected official, which started when he was elected to an at-large seat on council in 1979.

He subsequently was elected council president before winning the mayor’s seat, which he held for an unprecedented four terms.

While he was finishing cleaning out his office during the final week in office, Mamula said that despite his long tenure as an elected public official, he still thinks of himself primarily as a teacher.

“I enjoy the academic atmosphere and working with young people. I never burned out as a teacher. I loved it,” he said.

“To this day, I define myself as a teacher. Being mayor is what I did. Teaching is what I live,” he said.

He still seems mystified that his position as a part-time political science instructor at Youngstown State University, something of which he is very proud, became a negative for him during the last election. He lost the election to Councilman at-Large Terry P. Stocker.

Mamula said that while he has mixed emotions about leaving office, he has resigned himself to the fact that “it is time to go on to other things. Who else gets a chance at a third career, if I want it,” he said.

And while he says he has not given any thought to running for political office at any level — “right now, I’m looking to get myself reorganized” — he said he plans to stay active.

“I would drive myself and my wife crazy if I didn’t,” he said.

On the subject of his family, he described them as “saints” to have put up with his being in the public eye, as a teacher and elected public official, for so many years.

“My children were tots when I came on council and teenagers when I became mayor. I thank them for being supportive. And, for those times I made their lives difficult, I apologize,” he said.

Mamula said Municipal Court Judge James Lanzo, who was the city’s law director at the time, got him interested in politics and encouraged him to run for office in 1979.

“It was stressful from time to time, but I found that I thrived in that environment,” despite a distaste for what he calls the “slash-and-trash” aspect of running for office.

But, he said there were things that needed to be done and he wanted to see if he could make a difference. The whole journey has been about redefining Struthers, Mamula said.

He said the challenges faced by Struthers and other first-tier suburbs, such as Campbell and Lowellville, are many and difficult.

Usually, they have older housing stock and infrastructure, and are heavily impacted by the loss of industry.

“We changed the look of the city and kept it financially stable,” he said of his administrations and councils over his 16-year tenure as mayor.

Many of the old buildings are gone, and there are new bridges and roads leading to and in the former Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. brownfield area.

To the people who live here, the changes may not be obvious. But, when someone has been gone for a while and comes back, they see the difference, he said.

One of his regrets about losing the election is that he will not be in office to see the completion of two major brownfield site projects for which the groundwork has been laid: The extension of Bob Cene Way and the construction of a connector bridge, both of which will improve access to the area. The funding is in place for the projects, he said.

The formation of the Mahoning River Corridor of Opportunity, a group of cities that work regionally to develop brownfield sites; and maintaining financial stability and expanding services in Struthers during tough economic times, are two of the things that he is most proud of during his years in office.

The most difficult job of an officeholder is balancing conflicting wants and needs of people, particularly when your community is not wealthy, he said.

His advice — actually his plea — to his successors is to have a vision. It has to be about more than the day-to-day operations, Mamula said.

“Lots has been done, but there is lots more to be done. It will take vision and effort and talent to keep re-inventing Struthers so it can survive and thrive in the global community,” he said.

Mamula said he is interested in and knowledgeable about the subjects of urban sprawl and redevelopment. He said he wants to stay involved in those areas, especially brownfield revitalization.

“It became my area of expertise out of necessity,” he said.

In his final report to city council and the community at the Dec. 26 council meeting, Mamula thanked the residents for the privilege of serving the community.

Also, he said he is “eternally grateful for the commitment, understanding and loyalty” of the members of his staff, department heads, employees, boards and commissions and elected officials whose first priority was to serve the community’s interests.

For himself, he said: “I served the city as best I could.”

alcorn@vindy.com