Ryan says he has no political debts in Valley

The Democratic candidate says nothing can make him compromise his principles.
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Timothy J. Ryan, the Democratic candidate for the 17th Congressional District, said the lack of support he received from Mahoning Valley politicians during the primary only empowers him.
"All the powers that be in Mahoning County were behind Tom Sawyer and all the powers that be in Trumbull County were behind Tony Latell," Ryan said of his top two rivals in the May Democratic primary. "As far as politically owing anyone, I don't. I can make decisions that are best for the whole community. No one can say, 'Hey, we put you in office.'"
Ryan was asked during a meeting Tuesday with Vindicator writers if he is beholden to organized labor, one of the few groups that supported him during the primary.
"I don't think they believe they own me," he said of labor. "Everyone thinks they can mold me, but they can't. Labor and I agree on a large number of the issues. There's no group you're going to agree with 100 percent of the time. But I'm not going to compromise my principles to keep my office."
Positions
Among those principles are a staunch stance against abortion, and opposition to capital punishment, the privatization of Social Security, school vouchers and charter schools.
Regarding abortion, Ryan, a state senator from Niles, believes it should be legal only if the health of the mother is at stake or in cases of incest. He opposes abortions for rape victims saying the unborn child is still a life.
Regarding capital punishment, Ryan says, "We are killing innocent people. It's a flawed system. There should be a moratorium on capital punishment."
Ryan is squaring off against Republican Ann Womer Benjamin of Aurora, and former U.S. Rep. James A. Traficant Jr. of Poland, an independent candidate serving an eight-year federal prison sentence for bribery and racketeering, in the Nov. 5 general election.
Ryan served on Traficant's staff in Washington, D.C., and Niles before he was elected state senator in 2000. During that time with Traficant, Ryan said he learned what the expelled congressman "did well and what he didn't do well."
A Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee-sponsored poll of the 17th District race has Ryan with a comfortable lead. The 17th District includes portions of Mahoning, Trumbull, Portage and Summit counties.
When asked why people should vote for him over Womer Benjamin, Ryan said, "I'm from here. It's important to have someone who's hands-on in the Valley; someone who's involved in the community. I live here, I grew up here. My record on education is better than hers. She doesn't represent the views of the district."
Benjamin's response
In response, David All, Womer Benjamin's campaign manager, said Ryan's "inexperience and ineffectiveness would be the only thing [Ryan would] carry to Congress. Our district has the opportunity to elect someone who we all agree is the best candidate, is with the district on all the issues, and someone who will bring real change to the district. Tim Ryan is out of touch with the district. He's ultraliberal and he'll say anything to get elected."
If elected, Ryan said he would like to serve on the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which Traficant served on for several years.
skolnick@vindy.com