YOUNGSTOWN — Derrick McDowell has never run for political office before, but says he’s ready to be Youngstown’s next mayor.

McDowell, founder of the Youngstown Flea, said he’s going to run next year for mayor as an independent because, “I have been aware of the very persistent and urgent cry for change coming from our community that needs answered now.”

McDowell said, “I will continue to advocate for small businesses, accountability for taxpayer dollars, protecting our city and addressing neighborhood concerns. It’s time to bring hope to those who have despair.”

McDowell and John White, who sought to run for mayor in 2021 and was ruled ineligible, both said they are going to seek the office next year as independent candidates.

Mayor Jamael Tito Brown, a Democrat, said he will run in 2025 for his third four-year term.

McDowell said he is choosing to run as an independent because he doesn’t want to be beholden to either political party. McDowell last voted in a Democratic primary in 2021.

“I want to speak about how different we can do things,” McDowell said. “The present mayor has to answer for his own track record.”

McDowell said he has worked to improve the quality of life in Youngstown as an activist and small business owner and that he can make greater changes as mayor.

“We need something different,” McDowell said. “We need to address the challenges we face. We need to reclaim our identity. Poverty, crime, education, job opportunities and economic development changes are in front of us.”

In the past, McDowell has helped organize events to Black Monday — Sept. 19, 1977 — the day when Youngstown Sheet and Tube closed its Campbell Works steel mill causing massive job losses and the start of the closing of other area industrial plants.

“We lost an identity because of the steel mills closing and we need to create a new identity,” he said. “Our quality of life is directly impacted by how we see ourselves. This is not going to be easy, but I’m ready to face the challenge.”

McDowell said his “reclaiming our identity” campaign platform would reestablish “exactly who we are, with the clear vision to know exactly where we’re going. Never again can we allow anyone to own our narrative. It’s time we take back and tell our own story.”

McDowell founded the Youngstown Flea, a market for local vendors and artists, in October 2015 and moved in 2021 to a former industrial building at 365 E. Boardman St.

McDowell resigned Oct. 15 as community engagement and inclusion coordinator for the city-owned Wean Park Complex — Wean Park, the Covelli Centre, Youngstown Foundation Amphitheatre and Huntington Bank Community Alley. He had held that position since May 2019.