Head of base-closing panel is no stranger to the Valley

President Bush has submitted for Senate confirmation the names of the nine individuals who will serve on commission charged with recommending the closing or realignment of up to 110 major military installations in the United States. And while there are no Ohioans or Pennsylvanians on the panel, there is one nominee who the people of the Mahoning Valley should feel good about.
In fact, he has been named by the president to chair the Base Realignment and Closure Commission.
Anthony J. Principi, who recently served as secretary of Veterans Affairs and is vice president of the Pfizer Corporation, came to the Mahoning Valley in 1991 in his capacity as deputy secretary of Veterans Affairs under then President George H.W. Bush.
Principi was the guest of honor at the opening of the VA's Youngstown Outpatient Clinic on Belmont Avenue, and had high praise for effort put forth by members of Congress from this region to make this important health-care provider for veterans a reality.
But his highest praise was reserved for Carl Nunziato, then executive vice president and secretary of Ohio Bancorp, who launched the campaign for the clinic through the Youngstown Area Chamber of Commerce. Nunziato could not attend the ceremonies, but his wife, Claire, accepted a plaque on his behalf from Principi that detailed his efforts and expressed the appreciation from the Youngstown area community.
Nunziato is a disabled Vietnam veteran.
Renewing old friendships
We recall that visit because we believe the Mahoning Valley's fight to keep the Youngstown Air Reserve Station off the closing list can be won by doing something as simple as renewing old friendships. The fact that there is no one from Ohio or Pennsylvania on the commission does not mean the region is without influence.
Youngstown Mayor George M. McKelvey's personal relationship with President Bush -- he spent several hours in the White House celebrating St. Patrick's Day -- and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan's membership on the House Armed Services Committee's Readiness Subcommittee, which is overseeing the base closure process, are valuable in making sure the Youngstown reserve base isn't sacrificed at the altar of Washington politics.
While Operation: Save Our Airbase Reservists (SOAR), the region's grass-roots campaign, is doing a good job in developing the case for the Vienna Township facility on objective criteria, the political undercurrent in the process must not be overlooked.
Every congressional district that has a military installation can be expected to use whatever influence or connections it has to stay off the closing list. And so should the Mahoning Valley.
We have no doubt that Ryan, as a member of the Armed Services Committee, will have detailed information on each of the nine BRAC Commission members that he will be able to share with members of SOAR. Such knowledge is essential in preparing for the defense of the Youngstown Air Reserve Station if that becomes necessary.
On May 16, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld will send the commission his recommendations for base closures and realignments. The goal is to make sure the Youngstown base isn't on the secretary's list.
But if it is, we must ensure that commission Chairman Principi not only remembers his visit to Youngstown, but recalls his comments about the clinic's opening: "The beauty of the VA ... is we don't become engaged in partisan politics." If he uses that standard with the base-closing process, we have no doubt that the future of the Youngstown station will be secure.