YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - With election day just six weeks away, 21 News is starting a new series called Voters' Viewpoints, a chance to talk to voters all around the Mahoning Valley about their major concerns and other topics leading up to the general election.

Tonight, we start in Youngstown at a restaurant that's become a Valley staple, the Golden Dawn. Family owned and operated since 1932, The Golden Dawn is known for its Italian cuisine and welcoming atmosphere. It's a place where the patrons aren't shy about sharing their thoughts - especially on politics.

"Well, it's pretty concerning to me," Joe Edwards says, reflecting on the political climate. "Obviously some of the things that's happened to former President Trump recently I think are all a result of the some of the rhetoric coming up in the media and everywhere else, it's just too much, too much negativity. I'm concerned about that kind of negativity becoming something that's pervasive in our whole political system."

85-year-old Joe Edwards is a regular at the Golden Dawn and says his number one issue isn't making many headlines.

"Believe it or not, something that neither party addresses and that's the deficit," Edwards said. "If we don't get the deficit under control, I mean, our money is not going to be worth anything in about thirty or forty years. I've got grandkids, I don't have to worry, I'm 85, how long do I have, but my kids and my grandkids, oh my God. I really worry about that."

When it comes to a leader, Joe stresses that he's looking for authenticity.

"Somebody when they say whatever they say, I really believe they mean it and that is something that kind of comes through as a personality thing as opposed to somebody who is hemming and hawing," Edwards said.

Another diner, Bill Pounds, shares his concerns over a cup of coffee.

"I think we're all concerned with the immigration, I think that is a big part of it," Pounds says. "I think the price of gasoline, food and everything else, we are all involved in that naturally. I think it has limited our ability to do some of the things we like to do, travel and spend money on something that we really need."

For Bill, the right leader could bring relief.

"I look for somebody who has proven themselves to have the experience to handle situations, different situations and I look for somebody who is able to react whether it is a popular decision or not but I think you have to recognize what the problem is, if you are going to correct it," Pounds says.

Both Joe and Bill express concerns about immigration and the economy.

"I have friends that, well, we are all on fixed incomes to some extent and they are barely making it and when you get this 20% increase in costs almost across the board, I mean older people are really, really struggling, it's a big concern," Edwards says. "I think the people that came legally want to buy into our culture and I'm afraid that a lot of people that are coming into this country now don't really care about our culture, they want to maintain their own culture, that's a concern of mine."

"Immigration relies on wages, it relies on where they live, who is paying for them to live," Pounds says. "I don't care to pay for somebody else's living expenses, I got my own to worry about."

The conversation turns reflective as Joe and Bill compare today's political tone to the past.

During the sixties, you know during the Vietnam thing, there was a lot of dissention but I don't know, in some ways I think it's worse, it's worse," Edwards says. "The thing about our little group here is that we tend to be more republicans than democrats but we do have democrats so we're able to communicate and interact and still be friends, that is what everyone else needs to do. I'm tired of being in situations where if I say this is who I prefer, oh well we can't be friends with you, that is crazy, that part of what has happened in our society that really concerns me, we have to be more tolerant of one another, come on and let's just agree to disagree and go on."

"I think a lot of us have lost people that we used to deal with because of the tone that is going around in the community and within the state and United States," Pounds says. "I think you can with your friends you have had over many years that you can discuss things openly but I think if you watch the TV, I don't see that happen and its going to take leadership from the higher- ups to turn that around, they are going to have to start getting along so the people at the bottom get along."

The concerns of voters like Joe and Bill are complex, deeply rooted in both personal experience and hopes for the country's future. From rising costs to immigration and the national deficit, the voices at this beloved restaurant reflect the broader challenges adn hopes facing the nation ahead of the 2024 election.