YOUNGSTOWN — City council is meeting virtually for at least the next few days while its members await word from law enforcement about an investigation into an email from someone threatening to use an AR-15 to hunt “down as many council members I possibly can.”

Council’s finance committee met Monday via Zoom. The same will be done today for a community planning and economic development committee meeting and Wednesday for council’s full meeting.

“There’s no protocol for safety,” said Councilwoman Lauren McNally, D-5th Ward and chairwoman of the finance committee. “We haven’t received an update from the police department, and no arrest has been made. We don’t want to put anyone at danger.”

Council President Thomas Hetrick and Councilman Julius Oliver, D-1st Ward, had the same threatening email sent to them, timestamped 11:43 p.m. Thursday.

The email specifically mentioned Hetrick with his home address listed and stated: “I think I’ll start with him. Or maybe I should start with Basia Adamczak,” D-7th Ward, and it listed her previous address.

Adamczak and McNally said they’ve heard no updates from Youngstown police since Hetrick reported the threat Friday.

Police Chief Carl Davis said Monday: “We’re still investigating this. We take any and all threats very seriously. This person (who made the alleged threat) is familiar to us. The FBI has joined us. We’ve circulated a photo of this individual to all security detail working in city hall. We did that Friday and to the police department and to the city courts.”

Davis said police are looking for the person who used his email address when making the threat, but haven’t been able to find him yet.

“We take it as if it’s a real threat,” Davis said. “The mental health piece is real. I would like to see this individual get some help. I hope that’s the final outcome.”

Davis said he recommended council meet in person.

“I suggested council carry on their business as usual, but that is up to them,” he said.

Also, Youngstown police are driving past the homes of the council members to make sure they are safe, Davis said.

There was additional city police presence at the Saturday dedication of the remodeled main branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, at which council members attended, Adamczak said.

Council’s safety committee will discuss protocol for this situation and similar ones when it meets next week, McNally said.

“The chain of command was lacking,” she said. “We haven’t received updates from police. It’s not safe for the community either to have a public meeting.”

Oliver said he was not “particularly worried about things,” but the matter should be taken seriously.

The finance committee Monday recommended city council approve two American Rescue Plan funding allocations to the city’s health department at Wednesday’s full meeting.

One would be to spend $2.4 million to create a program to have community health workers in the city. There would be one worker for each of the four sides of the city as well as a coordinator and an epidemiologist, who would study disease statistics and recommend ways to improve health for city residents, said Erin Bishop, health commissioner.

The program would start next year and run for four years, she said, with the hope that it could continue with other funding.

“They’d be the liaison to help residents,” Bishop said. “They would address the needs of residents. If someone had an issue with high grass, they’d help. If someone wanted green space, they’d work with the parks and recreation department or if there were tires, we’d work with a cleanup. They’d also work with getting people health insurance.”

The other request is for $150,000 to support the work of the Vibrant Valley Health Equity Project, Bishop said. Mahoning County already has approved $150,000 for the project that puts together a workbook for health agencies and other organizations to distribute to focus on health equity, she said.

This is a result of city council’s June 2020 declaration that racism is a public health crisis, Bishop said.

“The goal is to have this tool kit to pass along to others so we have an equity piece in organizations,” she said. “We want all voices to be heard and for their to be equal representation.”

Councilwoman Samantha Turner, D-3rd Ward, said she supported the programs, but wouldn’t vote in favor of them Wednesday because council hasn’t received a complete plan for how the city will use its $82 million ARP allocation and each request needs to be discussed at a separate council meeting before a vote.

Turner was the only council member Monday to say she wouldn’t vote for the requests. The other six members were on Monday’s Zoom meeting.

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