Like most residents of Mahoning County, I am deeply concerned about the indictments handed down yesterday by the special grand jury.

 I am also concerned that an official of the Republican Party, whose candidates have been soundly rejected by the voters of this community in election after election, would attempt to exploit this situation for political gain. 

 Although dismayed, I’m certainly not surprised that the man who directs a party devoid of ideas or a vision for the future of Mahoning County is not just willing but anxious to smear the hundreds of honest, hard-working Democratic officeholders who serve this community well at all levels of government because he thinks it may help his lackluster slate of candidates garner a few more votes in November.

 But while the Republicans sit on the sidelines and jeer, the Democrats who are leading our region into the 21^st Century: Tim Ryan, Charlie Wilson, Jay Williams, Bob Hagan, Joe Schiavone, Ron Gerberry, Mark Oakey, Paul Gains, Anthony Traficanti, and the other members of our party who serve in elective office will continue to work to bring jobs and prosperity to our county.

 The Republicans who ask what company would want to locate in our community must have missed the announcement that V&M Star is investing $650 million in their local plant.  They must have missed the recent rollout of the new Chevy Cruze at Lordstown.  And they’ve obviously missed the new hi-tech companies that are moving into the Youngstown Business Incubator and other downtown locations.

Of course, it could be that the Republicans missed all these positive developments because they had nothing to do with making them happen. 

 Finally, while we Democrats do claim—and I believe have proven—that we are the best choice to govern the Valley, it is the voters who ultimately make that choice and, as Mr. Munroe knows, they rarely choose Republicans. Instead of casting broad-brush aspersions and hurling insults and invective, maybe Mr. Munroe and his cohorts should sit down and try to develop a plan for moving our region forward that would capture both the imagination and the votes of the people of Mahoning County.

 We in the Democratic Party will be listening.  The silence will, as usual, be deafening.