Jay Williams (politician)

Infobox Mayor
name = Roy Kojo Jawara ('Jay') Williams
width =


order = 47th
office = Mayor of Youngstown
birth_date = {September, 1971}
birth_place = Youngstown, Ohio
residence = Youngstown, Ohio
term_start = 2005
term_end =
predecessor =
successor = Incumbent
party = Independent, was Democratic
profession = banking
religion =
spouse = Sonja
website =
alma_mater = Youngstown State University

Roy Kojo Jawara ('Jay') Williams (born 1971) is the current mayor of Youngstown, Ohio. His election in 2005 gained local and regional media attention because it brought Youngstown its first African-American mayor as well as its first independent mayor since 1922.cite news
first = David
last = Skolnick
title = Community leaders extol mayoral victory
work = The Vindicator
date = November 9, 2005
accessdate = 2007-02-14]

He is a member of the Mayors Against Illegal Guns Coalitioncite web | url = http://www.mayorsagainstillegalguns.org/html/about/members.shtml | title = Coalition Members | publisher = Mayors Against Illegal Guns | accessdate = 2007-11-11] , a bi-partisan group with a stated goal of "making the public safer by getting illegal guns off the streets". The Coalition is co-chaired by Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Williams was born and raised on Youngstown's east side. After earning a degree in finance at Youngstown State University, he reportedly turned down job offers from around the country and remained in Youngstown, where he worked with area banks. Williams also served as an examiner for the Federal Reserve Bank in Cleveland.

He eventually left the banking industry to assume directorship of Youngstown's Community Development Agency. There, Williams was instrumental in implementing Youngstown 2010, a citywide redevelopment plan aimed at re-shaping the city and helping to overturn its negative image.cite news
first = Haya El
last = Nasser
title = As older cities shrink, some reinvent themselves
work = USA TODAY
date = December 26, 2006
accessdate = 2007-02-14]

Mayoral campaign

Williams, who publicly stated on several occasions that he was a "lifelong Democrat", did not run in the April Democratic primary for mayor. On May 3, 2005, he announced his intention to run for mayor as an independent.

Immediately after declaring his mayoral candidacy, Williams became a major contender for the office, along with Democratic nominee Bob Hagan. This development could not have been predicted, given that the 34-year-old Williams was the youngest candidate running. Further, he had no direct political experience. Nevertheless, Williams ran a popular campaign; and as the election neared, he seemed poised to pull ahead of rival Hagan.

On Election Day, November 8, 2005, Williams swept the field of six candidates to seize victory in Youngstown's mayoral race. Despite earlier evidence of a close race, the result shocked observers who had viewed Williams' relative youth and political inexperience as insurmountable objects. While the reasons for the outcome remain unclear, some observers have attributed Williams' successful run to widespread dissatisfaction with the city's traditional leadership.

Dealing With Youngstown's Financial Woes

The city is among the top 10 fastest-dying cities in the U.S., according to a Forbes article published on the magazine’s Web site Tuesday, August 5th 2008.

Once elected Mayor, Jay has failed to create a joint economic development district (J.E.D.D.) with surrounding townships, after attempting a J.E.D.D. with Boardman Township, Austintown Township and Liberty Township. The townships surrounding Youngstown continue to stand firm against his "income tax for water" ideas, and in doing so continue to keep youngstown in financial turmoil. Some of the surrounding townships have even gone as far as investigated possible incorporation and formation of their own water district as to prevent Jay and his J.E.D.D. from becoming an excuse to annex and force the surroundings to save his city from said financial turmoil. One poster on vindy.com, the website for Youngstown's Local Newspaper, who objected to this plan of action has even has gone as far as calling Jay's ideas blackmail. However Jay and some followers refute this claim, stating that a J.E.D.D. will contribute to the Mahoning Valley, and in the end be a better plan of action for all involved. It will continue to be a topic of debate for supporters and non supporters of Jay Williams.

References

External links

* [http://mayorjaywilliams.blogspot.com/ Mayor Jay Williams] official blog
* [http://www.cityofyoungstownoh.org/departments/mayor/default.asp City of Youngstown - Office of the Mayor] profile
* [http://www.youngstown2010.com/Bio%20-%20mayor.pdf Youngstown 2010 - Mayor Jay Williams] profile