Local Obama campaign to open office

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The President Barack Obama re-election campaign is opening a local office today in a downtown building, cited last year for failing to comply with the city’s exterior code.

The campaign’s office is on the ground floor of 25 W. Federal St.

A grand-opening is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Denise Powell, the building’s owner, had the charge dismissed in November after her attorney worked out an agreement with city Prosecutor Jay Macejko to replace the vinyl siding. The siding was installed last summer in violation of city Design Review Committee code.

The vinyl siding remains.

Macejko said a few months ago the siding would eventually be replaced with Hardee board, a hard fiber-cement siding. He declined to say when that would occur.