Dear Santa, Tim Ryan needs you

As Congressman-elect Tim Ryan prepares to celebrate Christmas Wednesday, comfortable in the knowledge that he is today the most important politician in the Mahoning Valley, he would do well to adopt the following version of an old favorite of the season (no, it doesn't have anything to do with roasting chestnuts) as he solicits gifts from Santa Claus:
"All I want for Christmas
is a new stump speech,
a new stump speech,
a new stump speech.
All I want for Christmas
is a new stump speech
'Cause the one that I've been using is a breach."
That version of "All I Want for Christmas" came to mind last Monday night as Ryan, who will soon be sworn in as the 17th District congressman, stood on the stage in Stambaugh Auditorium addressing about 1,000 area residents. They had braved wintry cold weather to participate in a public discussion of "Youngstown 2010," the city's proposed long-range development blueprint, and had been warmed by a humdinger of a speech by Jay Williams, community development director for the city of Youngstown.
Flop
So when Democrat Ryan, a Warren resident who has served 22 months as a state senator, grasped the sides of the lectern, the crowd braced itself for another heart-pounding performance. But Ryan flopped -- big time. The more he droned on about the need for all Mahoning Valley residents to work together -- what did he think the 1,000 attendees were doing at Stambaugh? -- the reality of his political success came through loud and clear: He won the race for Congress not because of his grasp of the issues, or because of his eloquence, or even because of his intelligence. Ryan capitalized on his "nice kid" image.
His appearance Monday night should have been his defining moment. There were officeholders and community leaders, Youngstown State University bigwigs, including President David Sweet, and economic development specialists. There were the consultants from Canada who have been hired by the city of Youngstown and YSU to facilitate the development of "Youngstown 2010" and there was Hunter Morrison, one of this nation's leading urban planners who served as the city of Cleveland's planning director in several administrations.
Morrison worked alongside one of Ohio's leading politicians, a man credited with transforming Cleveland from the "Mistake on the Lake" to one of this nation's "comeback cities," George V. Voinovich. The former mayor of Cleveland, former governor of Ohio and now U.S. senator strongly recommended Sweet for the presidency of YSU and Morrison as a consultant to the city of Youngstown. Morrison now heads YSU Center for Urban and Regional Studies.
The Stambaugh audience was tailor-made for a new congressman to prove his critics wrong, to show that he has the ability to think beyond soundbites. But he was not up to the challenge.
Indeed, the comments he made were identical to the ones he offered not too long ago at the annual meeting of ACTION, the faith-based grass-roots organization that is committed to cleaning up politics, improving Youngstown's public education system, and expanding job opportunities for low-income residents.
Ryan's platitudes played well with members of ACTION because one of the organization's goals is to recruit officeholders to their cause. On Monday, however, the level of discourse was such that Ryan's address was flat.
Big leagues
It is to be hoped that the tepid response from the crowd has made him realize that he is now in the big leagues. When he stands up to speak, people expect more than the street-corner campaign slogans that struck such a responsive chord with the electorate.
What role is he willing to play as the 17th District congressman to make sure that the implementation of "Youngstown 2010" is facilitated with help from Washington? Does he agree with the sentiment expressed in Stambaugh Auditorium that Youngstown is the heart of the Mahoning Valley and, therefore, must be kept strong?
The congressman-elect could use a new stump speech -- and a lot more.
Hey, Santa, Congressman-elect Ryan needs your help.