Mayor Tito Brown: In Touch with Citizens, Governor, Clergy

Youngstown Mayor Jamael “Tito” Brown is hanging tough. You can read more about him at the City of Youngstown website.

What are some ways the COVID-19 outbreak has changed your work life?

One big thing I’ve learned is that, with true leadership, you can work from anywhere and still move things forward in a city like Youngstown. I’ve been working remotely from home most days. I do get to the office a couple days a week, but we’ve all made ourselves very useful and productive in our homes, and that is the safest way for us to work.

We have a COVID-19 team that I’ve put together in recent weeks to help our city follow the directions of the governor to stop the spread of the disease, and we’re all working remotely. In place of the command center we established at the health department, we’ve set up space in each of our homes. Citizens haven’t lost any services. You can still call the mayor’s office and someone will answer. Your trash will still be picked up. Pot holes will still be fixed. We’ve figured out a way to do those things differently, because of the COVID-19 situation, and we’re still getting the job done.

How about your personal life? 

I’ve learned to re-engage with my family. Now that I’m home and the kids are home, we’ve found good ways to mix work, school and family time. When Daddy’s on a Zoom call, the kids are quiet, for example. But we do enjoy movies, and I’ve learned how to use TikTok. In fact, we’re going to do one about the Coronavirus and give us a chance as a family to merge the kids’ media savvy with my mindset about messages I need to get out.

In this new world, my wife is the principal and I’m the assistant principal and the gym teacher. We’ve been going outside when it’s nice, playing basketball and volleyball. We’re also learning how to be laser-focused on the kids’ studies and their other needs.  

What steps are you taking to hang tough? 

One of the things that’s helped me is the twice-a-week Zoom call we have with local clergy. When this pandemic started, several of them asked what they could do, and this is what we came up with. I tell them what is going on, twice a week, and they are good at carrying messages further out than I can get them, and I appreciate their help in keeping people informed. And, of course, they have good insight into the spiritual side of things.

What advice are you sharing with the people you love? 

I tell them we have to do what we have to do. Stay home and stay safe, so we can save lives. It’s not easy. I love talking to and engaging with people in person. But during this time, I’m going to model what we can do to stop the spread of this virus, and that’s to stay at home.

Anything else you’d like to share?

I want to make sure everyone understands that the situation with this virus changes daily, so I would encourage people to stay up to date on the latest information. We’re learning lately that northeast Ohio is more of a hotbed than southern Ohio, for example, and we’re trying to figure out why that is.

I want to share with people that every day, I get an opportunity to sit on a conference call with the governor and other Ohio mayors. The governor is asking us how he can be helpful to cities around Ohio. Being at the table with him has been a plus.