Congress reopens pork barrel

May 14, 2021

Depending on who you speak to, congressional earmarks are a great abuse of the system or are a benefit to communities in desperate need of federal funds for worthwhile projects. There is no denying that the policy, also known as pork barrel spending, got out of control years ago. The most commonly used example was the proposed Gravina Island Bridge in two small Alaskan towns. You might remember it as the “Bridge to Nowhere.” When the $300 million proposal was put in an appropriations bill in 2005, two of the more influential members of Congress happened to be from ...

Voter turnout shows disinterest

May 7, 2021

Democracy in the Mahoning Valley didn’t die during the primary election, but it sustained a nasty wound. Election officials in Mahoning and Trumbull counties predicted typically poor turnout for an odd-numbered primary. That was expected for a few reasons. First, among the candidates, there were only contested Democratic primaries so there was no reason for Republicans to vote, though there are very few registered in Youngstown, Warren, Girard, Struthers and Niles — where primaries were held. Second, there were very few tax levies on the ballot, and you have to question why ...

Ryan is likely Dems’ nominee

April 30, 2021

Since Jan. 25, when U.S. Sen. Rob Portman announced he wouldn’t seek re-election next year, U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan has focused on succeeding him. In mid-November, shortly after winning his 10th two-year House term, Ryan, D-Howland, told me he had no intention of leaving that position unless redrawing of congressional lines for 2022 gave him an unfavorable district or forced him to run against a Republican incumbent. He and I both knew Ohio would lose a congressional seat. Hours after Ryan’s Senate announcement Monday, it became official that, in all likelihood, it would be his ...

Gowdy atypical GOP speaker

April 23, 2021

I’ve attended dozens and dozens of local political dinners, and I can tell you, the speakers are almost required to say the same things. That includes our political party is great, the other party is full of extremists and here are some examples — it doesn’t matter if they’re all true — for both. In the past week, I attended the Lincoln Day dinners for the Mahoning and Trumbull Republican parties. Most of the speakers stuck to the standard script of praising fellow Republicans, particularly former President Donald Trump, and criticizing Democrats, particularly President Joe ...

Voting-reform bill due in Ohio

April 16, 2021

With turnout so very low during nonpresidential years, the state should be doing everything it can to encourage people to vote. Ohio officials need to continue to uphold the integrity of the vote and make sure every valid ballot is counted. The Republican-controlled state Legislature is expected shortly to introduce an election bill. The bill hopefully will increase voting and not do the opposite. I suspect one thing that will change is voter drop boxes. The boxes didn’t exist in most counties until the COVID-19 pandemic hit last year. The U.S. Postal Service was having a ...

Ryan gaining momentum

April 9, 2021

With Amy Acton opting to not run for U.S. Senate, Rep. Tim Ryan essentially has a clear path to the Democratic Party’s nomination for the position next year. There is still time for other Democrats to get into the race — Ohio House Minority Leader Emilia Sykes, D-Akron, and Franklin County Commissioner Kevin Boyce, a former state treasurer, still are considering it. But Ryan, D-Howland, has momentum and a nice haul of $1.2 million during the first quarter, even though he won’t officially declare his candidacy until later this month. Avoiding a competitive primary that will ...