Youngstown can't afford to lose private prison

To those people who still second-guess the wisdom of the city of Youngstown's making a bid for a private prison several years ago, we pose this question, "What other job-creation opportunities were available to the city at that time?" The answer is "none." Ask that same question today, and you'll come up with the same answer.
In 1995, with the city facing a bleak financial future, then-Mayor Patrick J. Ungaro decided to go after a medium-security prison proposed by Corrections Corporation of America. The decision did not enjoy widespread support, but Ungaro was adamant that Youngstown had to expand its income tax base. He argued that good paying jobs would be created by the presence of the prison. They were.
Last year, the 507 jobs represented a payroll of $15 million, which resulted in $250,000 in income taxes for the city. That payroll and the goods and services purchased by the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center increased the region's economy by $60 million.
Thus, when the financially struggling CCA warned earlier this year that the prison's future was iffy at best, Mayor George M. McKelvey characterized the news as "a bombshell." When Mc Kelvey took office in January 1997, the city was under state fiscal watch. Working with city council, the mayor erased the red ink and the budget now boasts a surplus. The state has lifted its watch.
But this week, city officials said the prison on Hubbard Road could close as soon as Aug. 18 if CCA does not get more inmates threatens to send Youngstown's economy into a tailspin.
Concerted effort: That is why every effort should be made by city officials and state legislators to keep NOCC operating at full capacity. Youngstown does not have the luxury of debating the pros and cons of privately run prisons or whether its economy should be based on the corrections industry.
There aren't any companies waiting in the wings with hundreds of solid, high-paying jobs. Indeed, with the state facing a fiscal crisis of its own, little help can be expected from Columbus.
McKelvey has said he will work with CCA to make it possible for the Nashville-based company to bring in prisoners from other states to replace the inmates from Washington, D.C. The discussions between the city and CCA involve, among other things, an examination of the security designation of prisoners and the guard-to-prisoner ratio.
Operational guidelines: The past problems that plagued the prison and made it a national story because of the killings and stabbings have been resolved. The involvement of the federal courts, Congress and the state resulted in new operational guidelines. Maximum-security prisoners are not now and should not in the future be permitted to be housed at NOCC.
Things have been running smoothly, but the inmate population has been declining. Thus, the decision by CCA.
But McKelvey isn't ready to thrown in the towel and from all indications, CCA wants to keep its Youngstown prison open.