Congressman Tim Ryan (D-13th District) visited Athens Thursday, meeting community members in several locations as part of his Workers First Tour through Ohio.
The tour is part of Ryan’s Senate campaign and aims to discover more about the unique challenges Ohio communities face.
A key component of Ryan’s Senate campaign platform is his promise to fight for workers across Ohio. This campaign includes raising wages, making healthcare more affordable, investing in education, rebuilding public infrastructure and revitalizing manufacturing, according to Ryan’s campaign website.
Athens was Ryan’s latest stop in Southeast Ohio, as he advocates for reinvesting in the Appalachian region. He began by visiting The Hive in Nelsonville before meeting with Athens leaders at the Athens County Food Pantry and touring the Bailey’s Trail System.
“We are looking forward to just getting the congressman to understand all the different moving pieces, things that us as Southeast Ohioans, Appalachians, are very creative, resilient in doing and letting him know that this is what's going on here, but also looking for his support as we move forward,” Mayor Steve Patterson said.
Ryan connected his experience growing up in Youngstown, Ohio, to some of the challenges Athens faces, emphasizing his commitment to following through on promises of improvement.
“I know there are a lot of challenges here just like where I come from in Youngstown,” Ryan said. “There's a lot of economic challenges, a lot of social challenges, but there are so many good things happening here in this community, in Southeast, Ohio, in Athens County and Athens.”
Ryan focused heavily on the potential for resuscitating auto manufacturing and investing in the energy sector in rural Ohio. He pointed to the advantages of natural resources and workforce availability to attract more businesses for long-term economic growth in the region, as opposed to short-term exploitation.
Part of Ryan’s plan includes growing the economy around Ohio University to retain the talent of graduating students who will contribute to continuous growth. This may include channeling federal money to develop an industry specific public-private partnership involving university students to develop jobs in the area.
Additionally, Ryan believes job development and investment in Ohio workers is a bipartisan issue that all Ohioans can get behind.
“(The American people) want us to at least agree that we should rebuild the economy, that we should rebuild manufacturing, that we should create good paying jobs, we should make healthcare affordable and negotiate down prescription drugs,” Ryan said. “That shouldn't be political.”
