Ryan, LaTourette, Strickland give region strength in D.C.

When the boundaries for Ohio's congressional districts were redrawn in early 2002, Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett, aware that Mahoning Valley residents were angry because Mahoning, Trumbull and Columbiana counties were no longer in one district, insisted that having three congressmen representing the region would be a good thing. Bennett has been proved right -- so far.
Congressmen Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, Steven LaTourette of Painesville, R-14th, and Ted Strickland of Lisbon, D-6th, are proving to be effective voices for the Mahoning Valley and the other counties that their congressional districts encompass.
Ryan, LaTourette and Strickland have found a common purpose, the preservation of the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna Township in Trumbull County, and that's certainly a plus.
If President Bush serves a second term, he will give the green light to the 2005 Base Realignment And Closure Commission, which Congress has charged with evaluating all military installations in the country and developing a list of 100-plus bases that should be closed.
While the Youngstown station is located in Ryan's district, LaTourette and Strickland are participating in the Valley's campaign to keep the facility off the closing list. They have shown a willingness to work together and to use their connections in Congress to funnel federal dollars to pay for the expansion of the base.
Our support
The three incumbents are seeking re-election next month, and have earned our endorsement.
Ryan, whose 17th District encompasses most of Trumbull County, a part of Mahoning County and portions of Portage and Summit counties, is being challenged by Republican Frank J. Cusimano, a political newcomer.
The congressman is completing his first two-year term in office and has emerged as a thoughtful, dedicated legislator. In the 2002 election, The Vindicator did not endorse him, arguing that his brief stint in the Ohio Senate and his lack of long-term employment argued against his serving in Congress.
But looking over his record of accomplishments, including all the money he has been able to secure for the district, and interviewing him for an hour, we have come to the conclusion that Ryan is up to the challenge of representing the Mahoning Valley in these uncertain economic times.
Strickland, whose 6th District includes portions of Mahoning County, all of Columbiana County and several other counties along the Ohio River, faces a write-in challenger.
LaTourette, who is completing 10 years in Congress, is in line for important committee assignments if he returns to Capitol Hill for another term next year. The former Lake County prosecutor is being challenged by Capri Cafaro, the 26-year-old daughter of J.J. Cafaro, an executive with the Cafaro Co. of Youngstown, one of the nation's top shopping center developers.
Capri Cafaro did not appear for a meeting with Vindicator writers, nor did she fill out a Vindicator candidate questionnaire.