Fourth Ward Councilman Mike Ray is hosting a business gathering on Thursday, January 30. The Fourth Ward has clusters of small businesses on Mahoning Avenue, Steel Street, and N. Meridian Road. There are over 200 small businesses located in the fourth ward.
Councilman Ray invited 240 businesses to the meeting.
Only about 15 attended.
I knew Youngstown residents were apathetic, but I did not expect this from the business community.
What do you expect, after decades of YTown unqualified leaders beating down businesses, do you blame them for not trusting politicians?
it could be the past frigid weather made these business owners doing catch up with business chores.
I think it's a good idea for all ward council persons to have meetings
with the business community in their wards.
Perhaps if he is persistent in demonstrating that he is actively interested
in their issues and needs, future attendance will improve. I wouldn't
give up after the first few meetings. Use social media to get the word
out and state his goals for these meetings.
This is a phenomenon here in Youngstown, I have seen it many times and really never understood it until I lived through it. It is very deep and one needs to find out for themselves. It is a distrust on both sides and is a part of our culture. It has to do with the worker and the "Medigan" in Italian.