Campaign foes join forces for good of Warren

WARREN

Doug Franklin and Dennis Blank waged a slugfest of a campaign in 2015 when Franklin won re-election to a second term as mayor.

The campaign featured attacks on Franklin for everything wrong with Warren. It also featured criticism of Blank’s arrival back in his hometown late in life.

But the two showed that they have put those differences aside during a recent presentation to city council describing a public-private venture they call the Fund For Warren’s Future that they believe can reverse the city’s decades of economic and social decline.

Blank did much of the heavy lifting during the presentation, citing data showing that the percentage of Warren adults engaged in the workforce is 49.8 percent, lower than Cleveland, Youngstown or any other of the 20 cities Blank checked.

“I grew up in a town where we always compared ourselves to Massillon in everything,” Blank said of Warren. “Massillon is at 62 [percent]. We’re at 49. We just don’t have people out there working, who can pay taxes and make investments.”

Other numbers were also troubling.

Read more about those in Thursday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.