Valley needs Rep. Ryan to continue in Congress

It will come as no surprise to Mahoning Valley residents who have watched his political ascendency that Congressman Tim Ryan is being touted as a candidate for governor of Ohio in 2018.

While the state Democratic Party may be eager to have a congressman from a heavily Democratic region running statewide, the residents of the 13th Congressional District need Ryan to stay the course he has charted in the House of Representatives.

The Howland Township resident is completing 14 years in Congress, during which time he has gone from being a young rising star in the Democratic caucus to a mature lawmaker with close ties to the party’s leadership.

Ryan’s membership on the powerful House Appropriations Committee, which controls the expenditure of money by the federal government, and the House Budget Committee, which oversees the federal budget process, are a testament to his standing among Democrats on Capitol Hill.

Serving on the appropriations committee is an important endeavor. Members have the ability to wheel and deal with one another when it comes to securing money for their districts. They also are able to negotiate with members of other important committees that could eventually benefit to their constituents.

Ryan’s assignments are especially important for the predominantly Democratic 13th District because Republicans are in the majority in the House and Senate.

The seven-term congressman – he served in the Ohio Senate before moving on up – faces a challenge from John Stephen Luchansky for the Democratic nomination in Tuesday’s primary.

Luchansky ran for Congress in 2014 and did not fare well.

The 13th District includes most of Mahoning and Trumbull counties and parts of Portage, Summit and Stark counties. It is a district hard hit by the decline in American manufacturing, but one that is emerging as a laboratory for the new technology-based economy. A shining example of this is the Tech Belt – to replace the Rust Belt – that runs from Pittsburgh to Cleveland. Ryan is one of the architects of the push to transform old industrial regions like the Mahoning Valley into modern manufacturing centers.

Innovation institute

Indeed, America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute, located in downtown Youngstown, is a testament to the close cooperation that exists between the public and private sectors.

America Makes is designed to accelerate additive manufacturing technologies to the U.S. manufacturing sector and increase domestic manufacturing competitiveness.

Without a doubt, the institute is a feather in Congressman Ryan’s cap, but just as important is his all-out effort on behalf of the Youngstown Air Reserve Station and General Motors’ Lordstown assembly plant, home of the top-selling Chevrolet Cruze.

The future of the air base is of singular concern to this region because of its $100 million economic impact. There are about 1,500 full-time and part-time military and civilian workers at the base. The facility is home to the 910th Air Reserve Wing and Navy and Marine reserve units.

With the Pentagon under pressure to cut spending, every military installation must justify its existence. Ryan has worked tirelessly to funnel federal dollars to the base to bolster the argument that it has a unique mission in the nation’s overall military strategy. The base has the only aerial spraying unit in the country.

Beyond his laser-like focus on the base and the Lordstown assembly plant, Ryan also has worked hard to bring federal dollars to the district for revitalization projects. Money is being used to remove blight and demolish vacant homes in Mahoning and Trumbull counties.

Ryan knows the 13th Congressional District like the back of his hand and has worked hard to make sure Washington does not ignore it.

He has earned the strong support of Democratic voters in Tuesday’s primary. The nominee will face Republican Richard A. Morckel of Akron.