EXCLUSIVE | Portman invites Youngstown mayor to SOTU

YOUNGSTOWN — Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown will be at Tuesday's State of the Union address as the guest of U.S. Sen. Rob Portman.

"It is truly an honor to be invited by Sen. Portman to attend the State of the Union address," Brown said. "Sen. Portman and I have developed a great working relationship since I¹ve been elected mayor of the city of Youngstown. I am honored and look forward to representing Youngstown and its citizens at the president¹s State of the Union address."

Brown is a Democrat while Portman is a Cincinnati-area Republican.

"I'm honored to invite my friend Mayor Brown to join me for the State of the Union address," said Portman. "I'm proud of the work Mayor Brown has done for the community of Youngstown and continue to be impressed with his leadership that is moving this city forward. Recently, Youngstown received a federal BUILD grant that will be used to provide great multimodal access between key employers in the Mahoning Valley, and I'm excited about how these transportation improvements will strengthen economic growth and job creation in Northeast Ohio."

The two worked together, along with numerous others, to help get a $10.8 million federal transportation grant that was announced in December 2018.

The grant will make improvements to the city¹s central business district, including Fifth, Park and Rayen avenues and Commerce, Federal, Phelps and Front streets.

The project's key components include a self-driving shuttle service, pedestrian paths, bicycle systems and green infrastructure.

The project will link major regional anchor institutions including Youngstown State University, St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital, Eastern Gateway Community College, the Youngstown Business Incubator, the Covelli Centre and the chill-can facility being built on the city¹s East Side.