MILITARY BASES Taft lobbies against closings

The governor said the installations are responsible for more than 38,000 Ohio jobs.
COLUMBUS -- Protecting the military installations in Ohio from base closings is critical to the state's economy, Gov. Bob Taft says.
"Our goal is to retain these valuable Ohio assets," the Republican governor said.
Taft rallied with officials from around the state Friday to show Ohio's support for the federal, reserve and National Guard installations within its borders as the federal government moves forward this year on the latest round of base closings and consolidations.
The Pentagon plans to reveal its list of requested closings to the federal Base Realignment and Closure Commission on May 16.
"We'll be monitoring the process," Taft said. "We'll be submitting a lot of information to the BRAC. The so-called BRAC is to try and come up with an estimated 25 percent reduction in U.S. military bases."
Taft said military installations in Ohio account for more than 38,000 jobs in the state and have an economic impact of more than $5 billion statewide through facilities in or near Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Lima, Mansfield, Youngstown and other areas.
Community campaigns
Officials from those communities briefed Taft on their efforts and vowed to mount vigorous campaigns to save their facilities from the chopping block.
"I think we're doing everything we can do," Reid Dulberger, executive vice president of the Regional Chamber, said of efforts to retain the Youngstown Air Reserve Station, home of the 910th Airlift Wing as well as reserve naval and marine corps units.
Dulberger, also co-chairman of Operation Save Our Airbase Reservists, the organization leading the efforts to retain the Youngstown area base, said his group will hopefully sell federal officials on the Youngstown Air Reserve Station's capability for expansion as well as moves to privatize some utilities there.
Dulberger said the base has 12 C-130 aircraft based there now but has capacity for nine more. In addition, an agreement to turn over water supply at the base to Trumbull County is pending, Dulberger said.
Lima's experience
Lima Mayor David Berger said he knows all too well the impact military cutbacks can have on an area.
According to news reports, during defense industry cutbacks in the 1990s, Lima lost an estimated 8,000 jobs at three plants. Half of those defense-related jobs were at the tank plant now known as the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center, news reports say.
"We have gone through the BRAC before," Berger said. "We know what's at stake." Carol Caruso with the Greater Cleveland Partnership said the 1,200 jobs at the Defense Finance and Accounting Service's facility in Cleveland are critical to that area.
Dennis Samic, a retired Air Force brigadier general who's part of efforts to help retain Wright-Patterson Air Force base, said each military installation will have to sell federal officials on their merits.
Your bases have to speak for themselves, Samic said.
Bipartisan effort
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Niles, D-17th, said protecting Ohio's military installations is an issue that has transcended political lines, finding Republicans and Democrats in Ohio's congressional delegation working together.
"This is about Ohio," said Ryan, who was joined at the rally by fellow U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland of Lisbon, D-6th.
The state has 18 members of Congress -- 12 Republicans and 6 Democrats. Both U.S. Sens. George V. Voinovich and Mike DeWine are Republican.
Last year, Taft formed the All-Ohio Task Force to Save Defense Jobs. Also last year, the Ohio Department of Development awarded cities including Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Lima and Youngstown a share in $1.5 million state grants to help the communities prepare for the BRAC process.