Power to the people

Power to the people

EDITOR:

Typically, I elect not to spend the time correcting various media inaccuracies and distortions. To do so would consume valuable time that can better be spent addressing a myriad of other issues. However, on occasion I do find it necessary to challenge certain viewpoints, especially when I believe that a distortion is of substantial enough nature to leave the public wondering.

Thus is the case with last Friday’s column by David Skolnick. Mr. Skolnick wrote about a series of agency, board and commission changes that I have facilitated or proposed since taking office. The headline characterized those changes as a “power grab.” I don’t begrudge Mr. Skolnick his opinion and because I’ve maintained an amicable relationship with him thus far I did not interpret his musings as malicious. However, the use of the term “power grab” was certainly a distortion and needed to be addressed.

Mr. Skolnick identified changes instituted or proposed with the Human Relations Commission, the Park & Recreation Commission, and the Human Resources Department within the City of Youngstown. What Mr. Skolnick failed to communicate in details, were the very serious problems surrounding each of the agencies that have existed for many years.

While I may only be completing my second year as mayor, I have worked in city government much longer. During that time I have clearly seen the severe problems that exist when boards, commissions or agencies, are allowed to operate without appropriate oversight by the citizens and the officials that they elect. Often, the citizens have no idea of who the persons on those boards are, how they got there, or what their duties and responsibilities are.

Every reasonable citizen that I have spoken with about this issue agrees that no public body should operate with virtual impunity. It is wholly unacceptable to allow any board, commission or agency that is funded by tax dollars, to escape appropriate accountability and oversight. This is exactly what had happened over the years with two of the aforementioned entities, especially with the Park & Recreation Commission. (The Human Resources Department is yet to be established.) Over many years there had been built up a wall of separation that excluded the citizens of Youngstown.

The citizens of Youngstown elect a mayor and city council and expect them to protect and advance the interests of the city. The citizens are also able to hold those elected officials accountable. However, the current structure of the Park & Recreation Commission makes it virtually impossible for the people of Youngstown or the elected officials to address any problems with the city’s Park & Recreation Department. Over the years many serious problems lingered because city officials were practically powerless to do anything about them. (The problems surrounding North Side Pool were just one small example.) Everyone I spoke with agreed, that needed to change.

Unlike the insinuation presented by the headline of Mr. Skolnick’s column, I am not simply seeking for the mayor and city council more control or power. I am seeking for the citizens of Youngstown, more efficiency, more effectiveness and most importantly, more accountability.

The proposed charter amendments, which still must be approved by the voters, will allow for more efficient, effective, and accountable operation of the city’s Park & Recreation Department. Between now and the November election, we will be communicating with the citizens as to why they should vote “Yes for Youngstown Parks!”

I conclude by stating that if David Skolnick (or whoever wrote the headline) wanted to see the term “power grab” in the title of the column, it was incorrect to suggest that it was power to the mayor. Instead, the power referred to should have been power to the people, the people of Youngstown. And in my opinion that’s exactly where the power belongs.

Mayor JAY WILLIAMS

Youngstown

Don’t kick the judge

EDITOR:

What purpose does it serve to air video of the DUI arrest of Judge Cronin? I think most of us have witnessed someone intoxicated at one time or another.

I do not question the seriousness of this matter, but I do question why media is eager to get this video aired. Reporting news is one thing, but “kicking someone when they are down” is another.

I wonder if WFMJ-TV 21 would be so eager to air one of their own in the same situation. I would think not.

KATHLEEN MATTOZZI

Youngstown