George Voinovich’s departure leaves a gaping hole in politics

For the first time in four decades, George V. Voinovich has stepped off Ohio’s political stage, ending an extraordinary run. Voinovich bid farewell to his life’s calling on Jan. 1 when his second term as a United States senator ended. He left the public arena the way he entered it, a family-loving, god-fearing, honest, principled individual who never let the trappings of office change him.

Although a politician, the former governor, lieutenant governor, state representative, Cuyahoga County auditor, county commissioner and mayor of Cleveland was not stridently political. Although a Republican, his dedication to serving all the people of Ohio blurred party lines.

In a profile of Voinovich published last month, Columbus Dispatch reporters Joe Hallett, Jack Torry and Jonathan Riskind wrote this: “Voinovich is the most prolific vote-getter in Ohio history. No gubernatorial candidate ever received a higher percentage of the vote than he did in 1994, almost 72 percent, and no Senate candidate ever received more raw votes than the nearly 3.5 million he won in 2004.”

That support was particularly impressive in the predominantly Democratic Mahoning and Trumbull counties, where he consistently outpolled his opponents.

Voinovich never forgot the support he received in this Democratic stronghold and during his eight years as governor paid as much attention to the Valley as any Democrat in office. It is a testament to his dedication to this region that the largest new office building in downtown Youngstown bears his name.

The George V. Voinovich Center was built to house state agencies that Voinovich and his chief of staff at the time, the late Paul Mifsud, had ordered moved from various locations throughout the area to downtown Youngstown. During the campaign, the Republican candidate and Mifsud had promised that state government would have a presence in the central business district.

But there was more, much more. The development of the air cargo hub at the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport was the brainchild of Mifsud, who envisioned it being part of the intermodal transportation system to serve the commercial needs of this part of the state. The King-Graves Road interchange and the 711 Connector were also designed with the Valley’s economic redevelopment in mind. There also were downtown projects in Youngstown and Warren and major funding for Youngstown State University and Kent State University’s Trumbull campus.

GM’s Lordstown plant

But one of the most important projects undertaken by Republican Gov. Voinovich, with the strong support of the Democratic state legislators from the Mahoning Valley, was the highway interchange at the General Motors’ assembly plant at Lordstown. The interchange has been credited with persuading GM to keep the plant open for the production of new compact car models, the Chevrolet Cobalt/Pontiac G5 and now the highly touted Chevrolet Cruze.

The 74-year-old Voinovich has left office with an impressive record as a public servant, who set aside partisan politics for the good of the state of Ohio and the country.

In today’s highly charged political atmosphere in which the two major parties have little interest in finding common ground, Voinovich would have been the odd man out.

He is back home in Cleveland with his wife of 48 years, Janet, his children and grandchildren, his Catholic faith and his fishing on Lake Erie.

George V. Voinovich has earned a well-deserved rest.