Area lawmakers like Strickland’s plan

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Ohio Governor Ted Strickland (D-Lisbon)

COLUMBUS — State legislators from the Mahoning Valley say many of the proposals unveiled in Gov. Ted Strickland’s State of the State address could have a positive impact on the local area.

“This stimulus package will really help us,” said state Rep. Ronald V. Gerberry of Austintown, D-59th. “A lot of this looks tailor made for the Mahoning Valley. I’m excited about it.”

Strickland, a Democrat formerly from Lisbon, proposed a $1.7 billion Build Ohio Jobs during his Wednesday address to the General Assembly.

The program calls for the state to borrow that amount of money to create more than 80,000 “good-paying jobs” in Ohio, Strickland said

The governor said the proposal lays the foundation for future economic prosperity by investing in the state’s economy, infrastructure, biomedicine, bioproducts, public works, downtown neighborhoods and brownfield remediation.

“This jobs program will directly benefit our region,” said state Sen. John Boccieri of New Middletown, D-33rd. “There’s no question we need to invest in our infrastructure and in advanced and renewable energies and revitalizing our downtowns.”

For more, see Thursday’s Vindicator and Vindy.com