Youngstown mayor delivers speech during annual press club dinner
The Youngstown Press Club’s mission is to support journalists and communicators in all industries in the greater Mahoning Valley region.
Youngstown mayor Derrick McDowell was the keynote speaker for the Youngstown Press Club’s annual meeting and dinner beginning at 5:30 p.m. at Stambaugh Auditorium in Youngstown.
In January, McDowell became Youngstown’s 52nd mayor after running as an independent candidate. He vowed to reclaim the city’s identity in a new era of rebuilding.
The mayoral race was McDowell’s first run for public office.
McDowell was born in Youngstown and a Southside native. As an infant, his mother relocated the family to Alabama. In 1995, he moved back to the city after the murder of his oldest brother when McDowell was 14 years old.
McDowell graduated from Chaney High School and is well-known in the community for founding the Youngstown Flea in 2016, a monthly artisans’ market downtown.
Four years later, he bought the long-vacant Northeast Fabricators Inc. building on East Boardman Street, originally built in 1870 and moved the Youngstown Flea into the new location later that year. It’s among the oldest buildings still standing downtown.
He spent twelve years in corporate leadership at AT&T, and served as community engagement and inclusion coordinator for Wean Park and the Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre.
Seven schools participated in the first annual Youngstown Press Club Scholastic Journalism Awards, a writing and media contest for high school students.
This story was originally published April 16, 2026 at 9:00 AM with the headline "Youngstown mayor delivers speech during annual press club dinner."
