Editorial was far off track

Editorial was far off track

The temerity on display at times at The Vindicator is striking. Having been involved in several meetings regarding the V&M rail project, I’m amazed by how The Vindicator’s perception of the events differs so vastly with the reality of what transpired.

In meetings that generally involved upwards of a dozen representatives working on the V&M rail specs, not once did I notice anyone from The Vindicator participating in the process. Yet, somehow through faulty logic and a twisted understanding of events, the paper attempts to level unwarranted criticism at City Hall? (“Will Youngstown finally get V&M-related project going?” May 12 editorial)

How is an engineer’s estimate that was determined in consultation with experts in the rail industry, along with state, federal, and company representatives a result of the ineptitude of City Hall? Please also explain to me how an error by the companies who bid on the rail project is the fault of City Hall? (By the way both the State of Ohio Rail Development Commission, as well as the Ohio Department of Transportation advised the city to reject all bids.) This was done with the concurrence of V&M who indicated that doing so would ultimately aid their construction schedule.

The primary “error” of Mr. Shasho was failing to take The Vindicator to task earlier over its own ineptitude and previous erroneous editorial. He apparently felt it more important to spend his time solving problems with the relevant experts on the project, rather than trying to engage in a fruitless debate with the paper.

Underscoring The Vindicator’s lack of knowledge of how the process has evolved is the question, “We wonder what top officials of V&M Star’s French parent company, Paris-based Vallourec, think of the inability of local government to perform a comparatively minor assignment.”

Well, I don’t have to wonder because we have been in continuous communication with V&M officials throughout this process. Their confidence in the abilities of Youngstown City Hall remains untainted. Obviously, unlike the specious perspective of The Vindicator, V&M officials are intimately aware of what the real complexities and problems with the process have been, and they haven’t at all been with Youngstown City Hall.

Mayor Jay Williams, Youngstown