680
April 2013
MAGAZINE
The Falling Artist Artists struggle to keep their dreams from falling off
Affirmative Reaction
The Mayoral Race: Candidate roundup
The OP Affirmative Reaction
Our Side. Opinions expressed represent the views expressed by the editorial staff and do not necessarily represent the views of reporters and other staff members
The recent changing of the guards at the Warren Police Department has brought some interesting notions about the state of the office. We couldn’t tell what was worse: the fact that the highest grade any of the candidates of the next police chief got on a civil service test was an 81 percent, or that the department actually applauded the number as a score worth the praise. The recent appointments brought memories back about a controversial appointment in the department that never reached the public’s ears. Two years ago, Lt. Joseph Marhulik of The Warren City Police Department admitted to using racial slurs towards two African Americans and to public drunkenness while wearing his service revolver after a night on the town resulted in him and two of his buddies running into a duo of bicyclists on their way home from the grocery store. Yet, as of this very moment, we call him Capt. Marhulik. How did we end up at this particular scenario you wonder? Well, it’s all thanks to The Warren Civil Service Commission and their invaluable determination not to discriminate. Marhulik, who was in line for the promotion after scoring the highest on a civil service test, was certainly in a predicament. Thomas Conley, president of the Urban League of Greater Youngstown, was shocked to hear about the accusations against Marhulik, who was responsible for many changes in Warren Police’s policies on treating citizens better and demanded Marhulik stripped of any chance to the top. On top of that, Marhulik was forced to use vacation time after being suspended for 10 days without pay for his actions. But luckily, Marhulik was too far in to be pulled out, or as Commission member James Fredericka poignantly pointed out in an article for The Vindicator, “I don’t think the city can ask us to put the toothpaste back in the tube.” A beautiful analogy to represent the shear irresponsibility, indecisiveness and utterly vapid state and policies of the commission. Because of a slight technicality that could have been easily dismissed by its commission members to fill “empty shoes,” an officer accused of racism, had his problems swept away by the opposition on the principle that the commission could not deny the cer-
tification that as already set in stone. In other words;: the commission could not discriminate and block the promotion because of a situation that happened after he was already ready to be promoted.. So now, as we continue the fight against corrupt police, discrimination and intolerance, the people of Warren can rest easy knowing that their police captain, who had finished his sensitivity counseling and writing his apology letter that Police Chief said he wrote all by himself, is looking over the city. It’s more than bittersweet; it’s completely sour. Promoting Marhulik was a slap to the face of the people of Warren Ohio, to the Urban League of Greater Youngstown area, the two black officers who refused to vote in Marhulik and a deliberate disregard of the tireless efforts of Civil rights activists who for years, fought with police, officials and administration in creating a more peaceful and culturally respectful world for people of all color. In his apology letter to the people of Warren, Marhulik said, “I have been working to make amends to the people that I have hurt.” If you truly feel this way Marhulik, then you will do what is needed to be done to amend the shame and embarrassment that you yourself said you caused to the badge: You will step down as Captain of the Warren City Police Department. If a person breaks the law and admits guilt when interrogated, we do not applaud their efforts and we certainly do not promote that person with a $36.94 an hour pay wage. We don’t seem to see the difference in your case, Captain.
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Your Side.We look at some of the submissions and comments you make and respond. Opinions expressed represent the views expressed by the editorial staff and do not necessarily represent the views of reporters and
Dear 680, In your last editorial, “A hard pill to swallow,” you praised the blatant gentrification being made in Youngstown as a “necessary move,” specifically with the recent closing of the historic bar, Cedar’s, after its new owners decided to put in an “upscale” burger restaurant (what the hell does that even mean) instead. I cannot measure the amount of negative opposition against the actions of those crooks, yet your guys, the self-described destination point of all things Youngstown, stood behind these outside investors. I shudder to think what your relationship with the owners is, but in an effort to help you see the light, I will explain why this is possibly the worst move to be made in the city’s history. When the steel mills closed, Youngstown was at a loss. We had nothing. I lived in this city 40 years, and I remember my parents telling me that their friends and family were thinking about suicide after Black Monday. But we survived. We made it through the darkness, struggled together as a city, and now we are moving forward. While I would be the first guy in the world to say that I love new business, the idea of replacing a surviving business, is ridiculous. Cedar’s is a staple of survival. Its opening in the 80’s signaled a change in the city’s state: growth. For the first time in what felt like forever, the city was working toward something new. Now, almost thirty years later, we are destroying that symbolic moment in time. They say it’s a necessary move, but I don’t agree. There are plenty of vacant buildings in the city that could service the burger joint but there is really only one Cedar’s. Youngstown may be changing, and changing may be good. But we can’t forget where we come from. Everyone thinks the abandoned theatre on Federal and the empty steel mill buildings are nothing but eyesores, but I see something else: survival. I see a representation of our history and just how far we have come since then. Cedar’s is survival. Why would we ever won’t to forget that for burgers? ConcernedYtowner
Dear ConcernedYTowner, I guess there is no way around it so we are just going to get it off our backs now: yes, we like burgers. We actually love burgers and while don’t really know exactly what an upscale burger restaurant is either, we would love the idea to eat more burgers downtown (no offense, Odonold’s, The Lemon Grove, The Draught House, and V2). But we also love Cedar’s. We love Cedar’s a lot, actually. For the past 6 months, our production meetings were held in Cedar’s; our publication celebrations were held at Cedar’s, and even some of our stories were written at Cedar’s. At no point did we actually celebrate the closing of Cedar’s. Frankly, we were angry as well. But we got it and I think the owners of Cedar’s (who are pretty close to a couple of the staff members here) got it as well. Change hurts, but it has to happen to move forward, just like you said. You’re right, we did survive the odds and we believe that’s what makes the people of Youngstown so different from other people in our country. We know how to survive. When the rain fell from the stock market crash in 2008, we didn’t run from cover like the rest of the country, we just opened our umbrellas; because, just like the often sporadic weather our city gets, we were all too familiar with the storm that hit. It hit us hard a long time ago and it’s been drizzling ever since. But it can’t rain forever. We have to move on. As proud as we can be of our history, we can’t keep those eyesores up as reminders. Instead, we remember through symbolic statues, newspaper articles, and history books. But our city can’t keep the black eye on our face after the hit we took; a faint scar will always be there, but we have to heal eventually. Not to bore you with another analogy but Black Monday was a disease. It was a disease that spread throughout the city and we have been living with it ever since. But we are looking for a cure and that’s why we titled the editorial, “A hard pill to swallow.” We have found a cure for our city, and while the treatment is causing some terrible complications, we have to continue for the sake of our future generations. Cedar’s has moved to the west side of the city and, frankly, we’re excited to see that the lesser known parts of Youngstown are getting more attention. Much like the city, the bar has a survival instinct and will continue to thrive as long as we continue to participate. While we’re sad that it has been disconnected from the city, we understand the need for change. More changes will come. A lot of the changes the residents, including our staff, won’t like. But the only way, as you said, to move on, is to keep moving forward. And really, that’s what surviving is all about. We thank you, ConcernedYtowner, for your thoughtful submission and encourage more discussion from all our readers.
The Mayoral Race Besides the surprise election of former mayor Jay Williams (he ran as an independent when he did not pick up the democratic endorsement) historically, the Youngstown has leaned left in virtually all of the recent mayoral election cycles. Because of this, the democratic primaries, which will be held on May 7, are commonly referred to by experts seen as decider of the next mayor. Below is information about the current runners in the primary race:
The Front Runner John McNally A former Mahoning County Commissioner and City law Director, McNally picked up the former Democratic party endorsement. He also has raised more campaign funds than any of his competition. he is widely believed to be Youngstown’s next mayor
The Chaser Tito Brown The Current Council President, and a member of the Youngstown Board of Education, Tito Brown may not have the money or the endorsements his primary opponent has,but he has been making a name for himself in residential areas and community organizations. If this is enough to clinch the win is skeptical though
The Wild Card
Matthew Smith He doesn’t have much experience, money, or any endorsements. On top of that, he’s stumbled many times in recent debates, admitting he was too nervous to perform. However, Smith vows to pull the upset, despite the large consensus that he doesn’t stand a chance.
An Upset?
A number of independent candidates plan to throw their hat in the fire once the Primaries end, including former Police Chief Jimmy Hughes and community activist DeMain Kitchen. While political analysts say they do not see any independent candidate strong enough to provide a challenge, they are keeping an open mind just in case an upset is pulled.
Follow The Daily Lede for continuing coverage for this election, and check back next month for a full interview with the projected winner of the Primary.
The Falling Artist Artists struggle to keep their dreams from falling off
Lamar Salter Theater is in Montaja Simmons’s blood. On any given day, he aspiring 22-year-old actress will spend almost 17 hours in a closed off auditorium, rehearsing her lines for her next role or fine-tuning her vocal abilities. In hindsight, Simmons admitted that her reality now was not the one she had planned for. “It was something that I always thought has a hobby,” Simmons said. But after being introduced to her first musical in junior high school, a rendition of the 1950’s Broadway act, “Guys and Dolls,” that hobby grew into a dream. “I was amazed at people doing this professionally for a living and I said to myself, ‘I want to do this,’” Simmons said. “Not realizing how hard it was actually going to be.” A recent Youngstown State University graduate in Musical Theater, Simmons has her eyes set on Broadway. But the reality of this
fantastic dream is not as entertaining. “No matter how much dedication and talent you have, sometimes it just comes down to luck, said Jack Ciarniello, a longtime piano accompanist, producer and instructor in the music recording program at Youngstown State University. The arts have always required a unique, yet strenuous development in its students. Many departments specializing in the arts, such as the music and theater schools, require prior experience on top of regular academic acceptance. In most cases, interested students would have to pass a rehearsal. Upon acceptance, students must juggle their educational studies, including major directives and general education courses with continued practice of their craft. While this act helps students learn important career concepts like multitasking and think-
“’Avant Garde’” doesn’t exist anymore because you have to be different,” - Dragana Crnjak
ing creatively, financially speaking, successfully learning to juggle does not guarantee a positive outcome. The arts, including design, music and theater, fall low in terms of salary-based jobs at an average maximum of around $35,000 even in major cities, according to Payscale.com and the competition for these average-paying jobs grows as opportunities shrink. Faced with an uncertain future, some music students started to redirect their career goals. Music is in Gino West’s blood. Playing since he was about 10, West specializes in percussion and has played everywhere from street corners to churches. He currently lends his talents as drummer for local act Jones For Revival. In 2006, West started YSU studying Jazz performance while playing shows with his band but the intense pressure of school, his
responsibilities as a student musician and his love for playing gigs started to take its toll. “You’re trying to do the practicing thing plus the academic thing… it can become slightly, like, overwhelming,” West said. After struggling for a year, West decided to take a semester off in the spring of 2010 to find direction. “I was like, I just needed to figure out what was going on,” West said. After making a tremendous lifestyle change, including dropping about 130 pounds, West started to find a new passion in nutrition and eventually, music took a backseat. While he still plans to gig and record as a hobby, West said he is now working toward becoming a dietician and personal fitness trainer. “I’m always going to be a musician at heart,” West said. “But I know I’m not going to make the money I want if I
only work as a musician.” But for students like Simmons, who chooses sheet music over mathematical equations, and Shakespearean costumes over work uniforms, nothing short of a Broadway career is acceptable. She is an example of students of the arts who set aside everything to achieve their dreams while West represents many students who have faced the harsh economic realities of the starving artist syndrome and backed out. “I see too many older friends of mine who were music majors who are doing nothing with their music degrees,” West said. “One of the best guitar players I know in town: he’s a manager at a bakery.” That jazz guitarist is not alone. In 2012, The Department of Career and Counseling Services released the results of a phone survey tracking the job progress for graduates during the 2010-2011 academic years. Of the 2091 graduates, 991 actually responded. Of those 991 students, there were four Art Studio graduates, one musical performance, three in music education and one in theater. Of the five successful Art Studio students, three said they were currently hired as graphic designers. One was listed as a “freelance photographer
in Paris” under the employer column and the other an associate manager at Dick’s Sporting Goods. The lone graduate of music performance was listed as an Air Traffic Controller for Ace’s Aviation. Watching his friend’s frustration was the trigger West needed to explore other options. But for those who are adamant against exploring externally, their mentors suggest thinking more internally. A teacher and adviser of art students for five years, Dragana Crnjak has seen her share of students, adamant about their passion, contemplate their next steps upon graduation, and concluded that defining oneself is imperative in getting out of the pond. ”Avant Garde’” doesn’t exist anymore because you have to be different,” Crnjak said. For students like Evan James, definition is everything. A senior in fine and Studio Arts, James does not have a clear plan for his future yet. He is contemplating graduate school but is unsure of where he wants to go. He would like to stay in Youngstown, despite the financial starvation he believes local artists have in the area, but is not completely sure if it will be possible, especially since the university has
nothing to offer in terms of expanded study in his field. His dream: to someday sell his work, a collection of Russian-inspired, expressionistic paintings, that he believes will define himself as an artist and help usher in a new wave of appreciation for art culture James has dedicated his life to protecting the need for creative expression in the world, even if that means cleaning bathrooms to survive. If I sell art or not, it’s in my blood, it’s what I do and it’s what I’ll always do,“ James said. “That’s what defines me regardless of what job I have.” While West moves toward a new career and James continues to contemplate his, Simmons is working to escape her current reality. Simmons recently picked up a job at JCPenny’s as a sales assistant. She insists that she is not quitting on her dreams, but admits that her vocal training and acting abilities have helped make her a persuasive salesperson. However, she still rehearses, albeit in her room, for 17 hours a day.Her four years at YSU, studying every piece of music and script she could find, has culminated into a tape; A single recording of one specific performance where her vocal range and acting ability were at the peak of perfection. She plans to send the tape out to a major production company in New York in hopes of locking in a temporary, five-month role. She has accepted that she is probably one of a thousand others like herself applying, but she is confident her head will stay above water. After her short role is completed, she will con-
tinue the search for the next temporary opportunity, all the while as she continues to rehearse and fine-tune herself. “It’s a never ending cycle,” Simmons said. But Ciarniello believes the cycle, the waiting, even the temporary work, is worth it. “I didn’t get to where I am now for a long time,” Ciarniello said. “I cleaned toilets, served food, even worked on a fishing boat for two years.” Ciarniello said that he had gotten his shot when one of the bands he worked for as a luggage assistant heard him playing one night after a show. They loved his playing so much they offered him a job as an accompanist for an upcoming tour across the country. Without any hesitation, Ciarniello immediately accepted. He got lucky, and has no shame in admitting that. It was luck that was the final message he gave to his students during one of the final lectures in a music recording class. “Sometimes you just have to be lucky,” Ciarnello said. “But as crazy as it sounds, you won’t get lucky just sitting around. You have to keep trying.” But when one of the students sarcastically asked what to do when you’re naturally unlucky, Ciarnello just smiled, and the following exchange occurred: Ciarnello: “Do you play music now?” Student: “Yeah, I’ve got a band I’m in right now: Tygerfly. We just played a show at the Lemon Grove last week.” Ciarnello: “Do you love what you do?” Student: “Of course.” Ciarnello: “Then you’re already one of the lucky ones.”
Make every moment matter
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