Jay Williams (politician)
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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.
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.
[edit] Mayoral campaign
Williams, who publicy stated on several occasions that he was a "lifelong Democrat", did not run in the April Democratic primary for mayor. On May 2, 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 close race, the result shocked observers who had viewed Williams' relative youth and political inexperience as insurmountable stumbling blocks. While the reasons for the outcome remain unclear, some observers have attributed Williams' successful run to widespread dissatisfaction with the city's traditional leadership.
