Traficant’s Top 10 accomplishments in office

Here are some of the major accomplishments James A. Traficant Jr. made during his more than 17 years serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Here are some of the major accomplishments James A. Traficant Jr. made during his more than 17 years serving in the U.S. House of Representatives.

1 Secured $26.8 million for Youngstown to build a convocation center, now known as the Covelli Centre.

2 Helped create the Western Reserve Port Authority that runs the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport after the city of Youngstown threatened to close it.

3 Sponsored legislation that shifted the burden of proof to the IRS from the taxpayer in a civil tax case, and required the Internal Revenue Service to obtain a court order before seizing property.

4 Obtained funding to build a second federal courthouse, named after Nathaniel R. Jones, a retired federal judge, in downtown Youngstown.

5 Helped get Veterans Administration clinics built in Youngstown and East Liverpool.

6 Obtained funding to expand the Youngstown Air Reserve Station in Vienna and secured additional planes that help keep the federal government from considering closing the facility.

7 Secured $15 million in federal funds to help provide loans to small businesses in the Mahoning Valley.

8 Helped broker a deal to bring a private prison to Youngstown’s East Side.

9 Secured funding to expand the Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport and for a King Graves Road interchange on state Route 11 near the airport.

10 Secured $25 million for construction of state Route 711 Connector.

Source: Vindicator filesSource: Vindicator files