The all-time most popular campaign promise in the Upper Valley for decades has been the addition of new jobs.
J-O-B-S, and nothing else except for adding or improving what attracts new employers to the Northern Panhandle and/or East Ohio. Many local residents are old enough to recall a time when employment was not an issue in the area because industry. There was steel, of course, bit also aluminum, glass, toys, automobile parts, and bituminous coal, to name a few of the products once stamped, “MADE IN WHEELING.”
“There was money to be made,” recalled Jack Cera, a retired Ohio lawmaker who served the state House for terms between the late 1980s through the early 2000s. “You didn’t need to go to college to make a good living for a long time around here. Those kinds of jobs were readily available.”
That, however, is no longer the case and hasn’t been for a few decades and that is why every community within the Upper Ohio Valley has experience population decline.
“It was gradual at first, but then leaving here became something our young people started talking about in high school,” Cera said. “A lot of people have tried to reverse the population loss, but I don’t see it as possible until the jobs are here again. That’s why so many people in Belmont County hope to see PTT (Global) build the (petrochemical) cracker plant because of the jobs and the industry that’s supposed to follow.
“But these days we see more demolitions than we see new construction,” he said. “The only thing that changes that is more jobs and that’s why we hear about it every couple of years.”
Knock Knock Knock
One practice during local campaign seasons throughout the valley has been walking door-to-door to reach voters in particular cities, towns, and districts. During the coronavirus pandemic, however, many candidates and incumbents created new methods for candidate-to-constituent communication.
The most popular way was utilizing the internet for virtual connections and Cera expects the same before early voting begins in late October.
“The internet and the technology we have now has really helped the people running for office because now it’s easier to reach people. With social media, you can reach far more people than going door-to-door,” Cera said. “But when I first got involved in the 1980s, knocking on doors and going to as many functions as possible were the best ways to campaign.
“Because it’s a midterm (election) year, the actual campaigning won’t take place until October. That’s when most of the yard signs will go up and all the dinners and the town halls will be held,” the former state lawmaker said. “In Belmont County, we have the governor’s race and the Commission race, and I know in West Virginia it’s a big year for state elections.”
But when will the signs grow in yards and along side interstate access ramps? When should we expect TV and online ads to appear? And how about those unexpected knocks at the front door?
Greg Thomas works as a Republican operative out of Charleston, W.Va, and he also is the owner and president of Targeted Communication Strategies.
“I think a lot of Republicans will wait for October to really start reaching out to the voters,” Thomas predicted. “In the races in the Northern Panhandle, I think the Republicans have done a nice job letting the voters know what they stand for and what they would do if elected or re-elected. The party’s goals in West Virginia are really simple because Republicans have been working on the budget and on initiatives that will make the state more attractive to out-of-state investors.
“There’s a lot of work left to do, too, and I believe the voters want the party to address tax reform next,” he said. “I know the leadership in Charleston is studying our tax system and that they believe they have found ways to reduce the burden on the taxpayers. Who doesn’t want to give the government less of their money? When it comes to taxes, I’m not sure parties matter because everyone I know, Republican or Democrat, wants to play less taxes.”
Roll Red Roll?
Following Election Day 2020, the Republicans had a 64-36 supermajority in the Ohio House, and a 25-8 advantage in the state Senate with 17 seats up for grabs in November.
In West Virginia, there are 34 seats in the Senate and currently 23 of them are filled by members of the GOP, and the party presently possesses 78 or 100 seats in the state House.
Thomas looks for both of those numbers to grow in each chamber come November 8.
“I think in West Virginia the Republican margins grow larger in the House and in the Senate, and I see the agenda moving forward to attract more manufacturing back to West Virginia,” the GOP operative predicted. “The Republican leadership in West Virginia has made a lot of changes that have been very positive, and those changes have reversed a lot of Democrats put into place during their 84 years of leadership.
“We’ve been hearing about a ‘red wave’ taking place in West Virginia and in Ohio, and I believe we’ll see a good bit of that take place in November,” he said. “I’m sure some Democrats who are favorites in their communities will win, but I can see a lot of incumbents losing their seats, too, because there’s a Republican ready to represent a different way.”
Cera expects much of the same
“In this area, I expect a lot of Republicans to win because that’s where we are right now. I can remember when it was the exact opposite 25 years ago,” he explained. “Democrats were in control in this valley for a lot of years, but as we’ve lost population because of the loss of manufacturing jobs, that’s changed how people vote and what they vote for.
“The voters used to be more concerned with what is taking place locally, but I think now that they have the 24/7 news cycle they care more about the federal level these days,” Cera added. “This November, though, is much more about local and state government so the (voter) turnout will be smaller than it will be in 2024.”
