Youngstown's mayor said the address was the governor's 'finest hour.'
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
COLUMBUS — Mahoning Valley residents and elected officials who attended Gov. Ted Strickland's inauguration came away impressed by his address, which spoke of a new day and new hope for Ohio.
"I was so excited to hear what he had to say," said Joe Leonard of Lake Milton, a retired General Motors employee. "It was a wonderful speech. I was particularly pleased to hear him talk so strongly about school funding. Hopefully we'll get that fixed."
Strickland, a Lisbon Democrat, said: "The road to a new, vibrant, growing Ohio begins with building a system of education which is relevant to the needs of all Ohioans from preschool through college and beyond."
Joe KuCala of Austintown, a retired Federal Aviation Administration employee, said Strickland's speech reflected him as a person.
"He is someone you can talk to, and that was shown in his address," KuCala said. "There's nothing conceited or arrogant about him. He'll do well for the state and the Mahoning Valley."
Ken Kubala of Niles, a retired GM worker, said he was impressed with Strickland's honesty; the governor said improvements to the state won't happen overnight.
"We need to take the time and make sure everything is done correctly," Kubala said. "Education and jobs are so important. We can't rush."
In attendance
A number of Mahoning Valley elected officials shared the stage with Strickland at Saturday's inaugural address on the rain-soaked and muddy Statehouse West Lawn. They included Attorney General Marc Dann of Liberty; Trumbull County Commissioners Dan Polivka and Frank Fuda; Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams; U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan; and state Sen. John Boccieri.
"I genuinely believe it was his finest hour," Williams said of Strickland's address. "I was inspired as an Ohioan by his optimism and his genuine desire to move this state forward. I never heard him so inspiring. It gave me great confidence in him as governor of the state of Ohio."
Strickland stressed bipartisanship in tackling the state's major issues, including education, health care and job creation. Strickland quoted President George W. Bush, a Republican, about education and the late President Ronald Reagan, who was a Republican, about the status quo.
"He struck the right political tone with the Republican quotes," said Ryan of Niles, D-17th.
Boccieri of New Middletown, D-33rd, said he was also pleased to hear Strickland talk about Republicans and Democrats working together. The real test, he said, is how Republicans react to Strickland's budget, to be presented to the Republican-led state Legislature in March.
Working together
"The time has come to work across party lines to move Ohio forward," Boccieri said. "The vast majority of Republicans get that. When dealing with Republicans, all of them are going to have to understand it will take compromise to get things accomplished."
State Rep. Mark Okey of Alliance, D-61st, whose district includes portions of rural and suburban Mahoning County, urged Republicans to work with Strickland and other Democrats to make improvements to the state.
Republicans were also receptive to Strickland's message. State Rep. William Healy of Canton, R-52nd, said Strickland took more of a stand to improve Ohio with his inaugural speech than ex-Gov. Bob Taft, a Republican, did during his eight years of running the state.
"Taft never made decisions or took stands," Healy said. "What Ted Strickland spoke about is exactly what we need."
State Sen. Capri Cafaro of Liberty, D-32nd, called Strickland "a natural leader. He's setting a tone for how we can turn around Ohio. We are all looking to stop partisanship for the sake of Ohio."
State Rep. Linda Bolon of East Palestine, D-1st, agreed that Democrats and Republicans need to work together "in order to get the job done in Ohio. I'm looking forward to working with him to obtain that goal."
State Rep. Tom Letson of Warren, D-64th, said Strickland will unify the state as governor.
"He's inclusive," Letson said. "His speech went hand-in-hand with his election message that we need to work harder with less and try fresh approaches."
Polivka of Warren said Strickland "spoke from the heart" and is confident the governor will "make Ohio better and make it great again." Fuda added that he was impressed that Strickland spoke about "how all small and big communities are important."
skolnick@vindy.com
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Youngstown's mayor said the address was the governor's 'finest hour.'
By DAVID SKOLNICK
VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER
COLUMBUS — Mahoning Valley residents and elected officials who attended Gov. Ted Strickland's inauguration came away impressed by his address, which spoke of a new day and new hope for Ohio.
"I was so excited to hear what he had to say," said Joe Leonard of Lake Milton, a retired General Motors employee. "It was a wonderful speech. I was particularly pleased to hear him talk so strongly about school funding. Hopefully we'll get that fixed."
Strickland, a Lisbon Democrat, said: "The road to a new, vibrant, growing Ohio begins with building a system of education which is relevant to the needs of all Ohioans from preschool through college and beyond."
Joe KuCala of Austintown, a retired Federal Aviation Administration employee, said Strickland's speech reflected him as a person.
"He is someone you can talk to, and that was shown in his address," KuCala said. "There's nothing conceited or arrogant about him. He'll do well for the state and the Mahoning Valley."
Ken Kubala of Niles, a retired GM worker, said he was impressed with Strickland's honesty; the governor said improvements to the state won't happen overnight.
"We need to take the time and make sure everything is done correctly," Kubala said. "Education and jobs are so important. We can't rush."
In attendance
A number of Mahoning Valley elected officials shared the stage with Strickland at Saturday's inaugural address on the rain-soaked and muddy Statehouse West Lawn. They included Attorney General Marc Dann of Liberty; Trumbull County Commissioners Dan Polivka and Frank Fuda; Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams; U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan; and state Sen. John Boccieri.
"I genuinely believe it was his finest hour," Williams said of Strickland's address. "I was inspired as an Ohioan by his optimism and his genuine desire to move this state forward. I never heard him so inspiring. It gave me great confidence in him as governor of the state of Ohio."
Strickland stressed bipartisanship in tackling the state's major issues, including education, health care and job creation. Strickland quoted President George W. Bush, a Republican, about education and the late President Ronald Reagan, who was a Republican, about the status quo.
"He struck the right political tone with the Republican quotes," said Ryan of Niles, D-17th.
Boccieri of New Middletown, D-33rd, said he was also pleased to hear Strickland talk about Republicans and Democrats working together. The real test, he said, is how Republicans react to Strickland's budget, to be presented to the Republican-led state Legislature in March.
Working together
"The time has come to work across party lines to move Ohio forward," Boccieri said. "The vast majority of Republicans get that. When dealing with Republicans, all of them are going to have to understand it will take compromise to get things accomplished."
State Rep. Mark Okey of Alliance, D-61st, whose district includes portions of rural and suburban Mahoning County, urged Republicans to work with Strickland and other Democrats to make improvements to the state.
Republicans were also receptive to Strickland's message. State Rep. William Healy of Canton, R-52nd, said Strickland took more of a stand to improve Ohio with his inaugural speech than ex-Gov. Bob Taft, a Republican, did during his eight years of running the state.
"Taft never made decisions or took stands," Healy said. "What Ted Strickland spoke about is exactly what we need."
State Sen. Capri Cafaro of Liberty, D-32nd, called Strickland "a natural leader. He's setting a tone for how we can turn around Ohio. We are all looking to stop partisanship for the sake of Ohio."
State Rep. Linda Bolon of East Palestine, D-1st, agreed that Democrats and Republicans need to work together "in order to get the job done in Ohio. I'm looking forward to working with him to obtain that goal."
State Rep. Tom Letson of Warren, D-64th, said Strickland will unify the state as governor.
"He's inclusive," Letson said. "His speech went hand-in-hand with his election message that we need to work harder with less and try fresh approaches."
Polivka of Warren said Strickland "spoke from the heart" and is confident the governor will "make Ohio better and make it great again." Fuda added that he was impressed that Strickland spoke about "how all small and big communities are important."
skolnick@vindy.com
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Mahoning Valley residents and elected officials who attended Gov. Ted Strickland's inauguration came away impressed by...
