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Valley lawmakers go to GM headquarters to talk about Lordstown
LORDSTOWN
Valley lawmakers who traveled to Detroit this week to meet with General Motors executives left the meeting feeling optimistic that, at the very least, dialogue will continue with the automaker about the future of the GM Lordstown plant.
“I left with optimism that they’re looking at the plant, that they have significant investments in the plant,” said state Sen. Sean O’Brien of Bazetta, D-32nd, who made the trip with state Reps. Glenn Holmes of McDonald, D-63rd, and Michael O’Brien of Warren, D-64th. They met with the following GM executives, according to a news release: Dan Turton, North America vice president of public policy; Bryan R. Roosa, executive director of North America government relations; John K. Blanchard, director of local government relations; and Brian O’Connell, director of state government relations.
The elected officials requested the meeting to discuss the Lordstown plant with GM executives, in light of the challenges the plant recently has gone through. The Lordstown plant, which makes the Chevrolet Cruze compact car, has lost two out of three shifts since the beginning of 2017, as Cruze sales have followed an industrywide trend of consumers preferring SUVs, trucks and crossover vehicles to small cars.
“We wanted to let them know that we were committed to working with them and the Valley is committed to working with GM, and we wanted them to hear from us face-to-face,” said Sean O’Brien.
Market trends were a topic of discussion during the approximately hourlong meeting Tuesday, the elected officials said.
The delegation reported that GM officials discussed the fact that its competitor, Ford Motor Co., has opted to mostly get out of the small-car market in the U.S.
“With Ford getting out of the small-car business, they’re waiting to see how that’s going to affect sales in the near future,” Sean O’Brien said.
The elected officials said there also was discussion of changes in consumers’ preferences. In September, the market share for cars in the U.S. auto industry hit a record low at 28 percent, according to analysts.
The meeting in Detroit also covered the role that gas prices play in shaping the market.
The elected officials also told the executives that “Ohio will continue to be as competitive as any other state when it comes to any type of incentives to keep Lordstown operating,” Michael O’Brien said.
When elected officials asked if there was anything they could do to ensure the future viability of the plant, Sean O’Brien said the executives told them no.
“It’s really market conditions,” he said.
The delegation did not come away with any news related to a possible future product for the Lordstown plant. But the elected officials said they were satisfied with the dialogue.
“They’re invested millions and millions of dollars, and they’re waiting to see how the market conditions continue,” Sean O’Brien said.
“They have committed to contacting us for future dialogue, and it was important to meet with them,” Michael O’Brien said. “I’m glad we made the trip, and we will continue to drop what we’re doing and drive to Detroit, if that’s what it takes.”