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New Youngstown lawmakers pass ’Council 101’
YOUNGSTOWN
It was as close as the four new members could get to a Youngstown City Council 101 class.
Mayor John A. McNally along with eight department heads – including Finance Director David Bozanich, Law Director Martin Hume, police Chief Robin Lees and Buildings and Grounds Commissioner Sean McKinney – met Wednesday one after the other with the four new members of city council and Mike Ray, D-4th, who’s served on council since December 2010, to discuss their departments, their duties and how they interact with city council.
“It is a beneficial meeting that gives us a good overview of the inner workings of the city and individual departments,” said Councilwoman Basia Adamczak, D-7th. “I feel with the plethora of knowledge and experience they each offer, it is in our best interest to utilize them as a resource.”
Valencia Marrow, city council clerk, organized what she called the “new member orientation” to “orient new council members on the services provided by those in city hall, how city services work and how council and the department heads can serve the best interests of our residents.”
McNally said he always was available to council members to discuss issues, but it is important to address concerns with and ask questions of department heads.
“My job is to make your life a little easier,” he said. “If you have any issues, call me and we can deal with them directly.”
Councilman Julius Oliver, D-1st, said of the orientation: “It’s greatly increased my knowledge of department heads and what they do. I am definitely more informed [Wednesday] than I was before.”
Councilwoman Anita Davis, D-6th, said, “It was interesting. There was so much information. You can prepare yourself to serve on council, but there’s so much to learn about the department and the work being done.”
Councilwoman Lauren McNally, D-5th, said she’d met with department heads last month.
“The information given was good, but everyone definitely needs to talk to department heads,” she said. “I would hope this isn’t the first time everyone is hearing this. My one-on-one meetings were more beneficial, but this is helpful.”
Ray, the most-senior council member, said, “It’s good to get a refresher. But I was there because I know the perspective of being a new council member, and I wanted to help them get a better understanding of the departments. You think you know everything, but there’s always something new to learn.”