Wednesday, September 17, 2003
To set the record straight: The decision to close the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation office in Warren and relocate the 74 jobs to Youngstown was made to save the taxpayers money by James Conrad, administrator and chief executive officer of the state agency. Conrad's decision was not prompted by any effort by Mahoning County commissioners to steal jobs from Trumbull County.
Earlier this year, Conrad announced that the bureau was embarking on several consolidation moves across Ohio in an attempt to reduce operating costs by $5 million to $7 million a year. The state's budget crisis has prompted spending cuts across the board. But he also emphasized that the Mahoning Valley would not lose any of the 135 state jobs now in the two counties.
That pledge was significant because the BWC could easily have shut down the Warren operation and moved the jobs to some other community, such as Canton. The Canton office already has picked up 88 employees from downtown Akron.
Other moves
It is also worth noting that the BWC's Richmond Heights office on the far east side of Cleveland was slated to be closed, while the downtown Cleveland operation was being significantly reduced. In Cincinnati, a skeleton crew will operate the downtown office, while a larger office is being established on the outerbelt where major highways merge.
We highlight those changes to illustrate that this predominantly Democratic region has not been singled out by the Republican administration of Gov. Bob Taft. Indeed, we are in better shape than other areas insofar as the number of jobs being retained. The Valley isn't losing any BWC positions as a result of the consolidation, and for that, Conrad and Taft have earned our thanks.
As we noted in this space in March, we fully appreciate the anxiety of Trumbull County officials over the relocation of the 74 jobs. But faced with the choice of keeping them in the region or losing some or all to Stark County, for example, we believe the right decision was made.
Commissioners Edward Reese, Vicki Allen Sherlock and David Ludt, county Administrator Gary Kubic and Auditor George Tablack developed a financing plan that made the project a reality. Their commitment to the redevelopment of downtown Youngstown is encouraging.
Ready to assist with alternative financing if the county's plan did not go forward were Youngstown Mayor George M. McKelvey, Finance Director David Bozanich, members of city council, led by Artis Gillam Sr. and James E. Fortune Sr., and Mahoning County Treasurer John Reardon. The alternative financing was ready to be implemented immediately, and it was good to again see such cooperation among city and county officials.
The announcement last week that the county would borrow $2.75 million to add to the $5 million that the Children Services Board is putting up for a new office building downtown to house the CSB and the BWC was significant for several reasons.
First, it demonstrated that a spirit of cooperation exists between city and county governments. Second, it formally committed Conrad to consolidate the 135 bureau jobs in downtown Youngstown. Third, it paves the way for commissioners to pursue their plans to make the Mahoning County annex on Market Street a law enforcement command center; CSB is now in the annex. Last, the new office building, which will be adjacent to the George V. Voinovich Government Center, is another major piece in the downtown redevelopment puzzle being put together by the Youngstown Central Area Community Improvement Corp. as it spearheads revitalization of the central business district.
GM Lordstown
We aren't surprised that elected officials in Trumbull County, led by state Sen. Marc Dann of Liberty, D-32nd, have taken a dim view of what has transpired and are attempting to get Conrad to change his mind. But fairness dictates that Dann and others look at the role Youngstown and Mahoning County officials have played in securing the future of the General Motors assembly plant in Lordstown and the development of Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport and the adjacent industrial park in Vienna Township.
Their criticism of Reese, Sherlock and Ludt for taking the initiative in developing the financing plan for the office building project is unfair. The three commissioners have been subjected to harsh verbal attacks from some constituents for continuing to allocate county tax dollars for the airport.
The two largest regional projects in the Mahoning Valley -- GM and the airport -- are both in Trumbull County. And the support from Youngstown and Mahoning County has been unequivocal. That exemplifies the spirit of regionalization.