Mahoning Valley needs Kasich to make pitch for private prison

The clock is ticking on the future of the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center on Youngstown’s East Side, which means it’s time to pull out all the stops.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons is expected to make a decision in the next two weeks or so about renewing a contract to keep 1,200 federal inmates housed and rehabilitated at the 16-year-old private lockup.

With more than 400 jobs, $157 million in payroll, $14 million in utilities and $10 million-plus in local taxes, Northeast Ohio Correctional Center is a major contributor to the city’s economic well-being in particular, and the Mahoning Valley’s in general.

The loss of the federal contract would have a devastating effect on the future of the prison in this region.

It is noteworthy that NOCC officials haven’t been shy about going into the community and urging residents to lend their voices to the chorus of support from business and community leaders and government officials.

It’s all about letting the federal government know that the Mahoning Valley will do whatever is necessary to maintain the private prison in Youngstown.

Thus, we call on Gov. John Kasich, who is riding high politically not only in Ohio, but nationally, to use the power of his office and his standing in the Republican Party to lobby on behalf of NOCC.

Kasich won re-election Nov. 4 by a landslide and led the GOP statewide ticket to victory. He also carried the predominantly Democratic Mahoning and Trumbull counties, which puts him in an exclusive class of Republican gubernatorial candidates.

Come January, the GOP will take control of the U.S. Senate and tighten its hold in the House of Representatives, which means that the governor from the state that could well determine the 2016 presidential election will have a great deal of influence on Capitol Hill.

Indeed, Kasich will be in the spotlight at the Republican National Convention, which will take place in Cleveland in 2016.

KASICH’S COMMITMENT

During the general election campaign, Kasich visited the Valley on several occasions and met with The Vindicator’s Editorial Board. He made it clear that he is committed to helping this region catch up with the rest of the state with regard to job creation and retention.

We endorsed Kasich in his re-election bid on the grounds that he has put Ohio on the path to sustained economic growth.

We now call on him to stand up for one of the most important employers in this region by urging the Federal Bureau of Prisons to renew the contract with Corrections Corporation of America for housing federal prisoners at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center on Hubbard Road.

NOCC may be in danger of losing the contract to a private prison in Pennsylvania, which is why we view this with a sense of urgency.

But we aren’t alone in our concern about the future.

This editorial, the latest in our long-standing support for the private prison in Youngstown, was prompted by the following email from Jon Benedict, vice president of the R Strategy Group, a public relations firm representing CCA:

“I just wanted to let you know that CCA expects to hear about the outcome of the proposal to renew the Bureau of Prisons contract at some point in the next two or three weeks at the most. Obviously we’ll let you know the moment we hear anything. If The Vindicator were to make a final editorial appeal for the BOP to continue the contract, now would be the ideal moment.”

It’s also the ideal moment for everyone in the Mahoning Valley to lend their support.