Taft has earned the support of Mahoning Valley voters

Gov. Bob Taft has kept a most important pro-mise to the Mahoning Valley, and for that he deserves the backing of this region's voters in the Nov. 5 general election.
To those who would criticize us for such a parochial view of the governor's race, we say, think back to Black Monday 1977 and the shockwaves that ripped through the area when Youngstown Sheet & amp; Tube announced it was closing its Campbell Works.
Similar shockwaves, and the accompanying blow to our economic well-being and psyche, would have been felt again last month had General Motors Corp. refused to give its Lordstown assembly plant a new lease on life.
But the giant automaker's announcement that it had selected the Lordstown complex to produce the next generation of GM's compact cars was undoubtedly the most important economic news since the demise of the Valley's steel industry.
The governor's role in solidifying GM's decision was significant. It was far more than the state's chief executive just doing his job.
When Taft took office four years ago, he promised that the future of Lordstown would be the top economic development priority for him and his administration. Under his guidance, the Ohio Department of Development and other state agencies put together an economic incentive package for GM that company officials acknowledged was superior to those from other states that were competing for the new product.
But isn't just the bright future for auto manufacturing in the region that has persuaded us to endorse Taft's re-election.
An honest appraisal of his performance in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties with respect to job-creation and other economic development initiatives leads to the conclusion that this Republican governor has not turned his back on the predominantly Democratic Valley.
His administration undertook 88 economic development projects in the region, resulting in 20,000 jobs being created or retained.
One project in particular is noteworthy because it parallels Taft's Third Frontier technology initiative that is designed to make Ohio competitive with other states that have diversified their economies with high-tech companies.
Taft provided a $1 million down payment for a market ready, high-tech office building adjacent to the Youngstown Business Incubator in downtown Youngstown and has pledged to provide further funding for the project.
Economic development tool
The importance of this second incubator cannot be underestimated. It would provide cheap office space to companies that are graduating from the Youngstown Business Incubator, thereby dissuading them from fleeing to Cleveland, Pittsburgh or other cities.
But while we praise the governor for the attention that he has paid to the Mahoning Valley, we do find ourselves sharing the concern and frustration about Ohio's economic meltdown being articulated by Democratic challenger Tim Hagan.
Hagan, a Youngstown native and a former Cuyahoga County commissioner, has conducted a hard-hitting campaign against the incumbent, but he has been hamstrung by his inability to raise a significant amount to money to wage an effective television campaign.
Although Ohio is not alone in confronting growing operating fund deficits, the Republican governor and the Republican controlled General Assembly must bear responsibility for failing to develop a recovery plan that not only eliminates waste in government spending, but pinpoints new sources of revenue.
There is no doubt that the Mahoning Valley feels the effects of an economic slowdown on the state or national levels more than any other region in Ohio. That's because we haven't fully recovered from the loss of the steel jobs and the attendant physical and psychological devastation that occurred in the community.
When state funding is cut for higher education, as it was in the current biennium budget, Youngstown State University has a much more difficult time absorbing the reduction than other institutions of higher learning.
When state dollars for community projects in the capital budget are reduced or eliminated, the Valley suffers much more than say Cleveland, Columbus or Cincinnati.
And when social services are forced to operate with less money from Columbus, many more people are affected in this region than other parts of the state because we have a much higher per capita poverty rate and more unemployed.
We would, therefore, urge Taft not to let the Republican controlled General Assembly push him around. As governor, he is the leader of his party, and he should use that power to enact the budget recovery plan he says was crippled in the legislature.
While Hagan is passionate about wanting to help those he contends have been ignored over the past four years by Taft, we believe that there will be gridlock in state government if he is elected. If Taft has trouble dealing with his own party members, imagine what awaits a liberal Democratic governor.
In the end, all politics is local, as the late Speaker Thomas & quot;Tip & quot; O'Neill of the U.S. House of Representatives used to say, and the attention paid to the Valley by Taft and his administration is worthy of recognition. The governor has our support.