Williams: Obama to see Valley successes
Youngstown Vindicator – President Barack Obama’s visit Tuesday to the Mahoning Valley is an opportunity for the area to showcase its economic revitalization, said Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams.
“The Mahoning Valley is redefining itself to the nation and the world,” he said. “When you talk about a place that has been a model for using federal stimulus money, a place to invest, a place that’s reinventing itself, the Mahoning Valley and Youngstown are high on that list.”
Williams, a Democrat, rattled off a number of economic-success stories in his city including V&M Star’s announced $650 million expansion, planned expansions by VXI Global Solutions and Exal Corp. and growth in the city’s high-tech area.
The mayor said he’s not at all surprised that Obama is coming here.
Actually, Williams said several months ago that he expected the president to visit the Youngstown area in the spring or summer.
The mayor has met several times with Obama administration officials and said they’ve praised the Valley’s economic accomplishments.
