Valley will still have ally in the governor's office

Gov. Bob Taft has shown time and again that his commitment to the Mahoning Valley is sincere and solid. If you're not convinced, just think of General Motors Corp.'s Lordstown assembly plant. But Taft, by virtue of being elected statewide, cannot focus all his energies on one region. He must take a big picture approach to governance. For the minutiae, he has his chief of staff. That role for the past four years has been played by Brian Hicks, whose relationship with Taft goes back to his secretary of state years.
While not a household name, Hicks has long been acknowledged by those familiar with state government as one of the most powerful men in Columbus. To be sure, he gets his power from the governor, but he has mastered the art of using his position to not only push his boss's agenda, but to reward friends.
Keen interest
Fortunately for the Mahoning Valley, he has made some friends in the tri-county area. And because of that friendship, and Taft's commitment to the region, Hicks has taken a keen interest in what is occurring in Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties. He has been especially helpful in making sure that economic development projects receive the attention they deserve not only in the executive branch but in the General Assembly.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that Hicks has been one of this region's staunchest advocates in Columbus. And while he has not visited the area as often as the governor, he is acutely aware of what is going on politically and in relation to the Valley's job-creation efforts. Being a native of Ashtabula County certainly gave him a unique perspective among the governor's top advisers of this part of the state.
That is why his announcement last week that he would be leaving his chief of staff position at the end of the month was greeted with dismay by those who have worked closely with Hicks over the years to make sure the region did not disappear from the governor's radar screen.
Hicks will be forming a public affairs company with offices in Columbus and Washington. He also has been tapped to lead the campaign for the passage of a bond issue in November to finance the governor's Third Frontier technology initiative.
Valley roots
But concern over his departure was lessened when Taft announced that Jonathan Allison, a native of Columbiana County and currently deputy chief of staff, would be promoted to the top position. Allison's roots in the Valley run deep. His father, the late James Allison, was a former chairman of the Columbiana County Republican Party.
The elder Allison and Dr. William Binning, the governor's special representative in the tri-county area, were political allies. Binning and the younger Allison are friends, and that bodes well for us. The new chief of staff is not only familiar with the Valley, but he still has family here. His mother, Eleanor, and brother, Bradley, live in East Palestine. Bradley Allison is the city's law director.
Although Republicans are firmly entrenched in state government, the predominantly Democratic Mahoning Valley will not be left out in the cold -- if Taft keeps doing what he has been over the past four years and Allison picks up where Hicks left off.