Campbell mayor has business vision for his city
CAMPBELL
Mayor Nick Phillips, a Campbell native, remembers a time when his city was bustling with commerce.
One of his primary goals in office, he says, is to bring back business.
“Campbell has been down for a while,” Phillips said. “It’s our time now.”
He acknowledges, however, that realizing his ideal is not without its challenges.
“It’s a lot of work, trying to make our city what it once was,” Phillips said. “When the mills left, the businesses left. There wasn’t really much foresight into the future.”
Depopulation is an obstacle, as well. Like much of the Mahoning Valley, Campbell continues to bleed residents.
In 1960, Campbell’s population was 13,406. In 2014, the most-recent year of available data, it was 8,033.
From 2010 to 2014, the population continued to decrease, though at a less-pronounced rate of 2.5 percent.
Close to 20 percent of Campbell’s residents are 65 or older, according to the most-recent data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Phillip’s said he’s confident the population of Campbell will support businesses.
Rear more about his plan in Tuesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.