‘Reclaiming our identity.’ Why Youngstown Flea founder is running for mayor in 2025
Derrick McDowell, founder of the Youngstown Flea, announced this week he’s officially running for mayor.
Mayor Jamael Tito Brown is up for reelection in 2025. The mayor’s office did not respond to Mahoning Matters’ attempt to interview.
Mahoning Matters will update the story once more information is available.
“Reclaiming our identity” campaign kick-off
McDowell said he’s campaigning as a nonpartisan independent.
“You cannot solve some of our oldest and most persistent challenges without acknowledging the people who are experiencing them,” McDowell said. “I’ve experienced those same frustrations and anxieties and despair and hopelessness, and there has to be a voice that champions that from the highest levels of office.”
Central to McDowell’s campaign platform is reclaiming the city’s identity. It’s a plan to re-establish the city of Youngstown’s goals to build a better future and “reinvigorate industry.”
“Never again can we allow anyone to own our narrative. It’s time we take back and tell our own story,” he said. “There has been a persistent and urgent cry for change coming from our community.”
McDowell is hosting a campaign kick-off Nov. 12 at 365 E. Boardman St. in Youngstown.
“It’s an opportunity for folks to come out, hear a bit, and get involved by sharing,” McDowell said. “It’s another opportunity for me to listen in a much greater way than I’ve been able to, and I can go from there. “
