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Mid-Ohio Valley Foundations – Community: Local officials prepare for D.C. departures

By Jess Mancini 6 min read

PARKERSBURG -- Local officials are bracing for changes in representation in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate.

In Ohio in the 6th District that includes Washington County, Bill Johnson in January resigned to become president of Youngstown State University. Johnson lived in Marietta.

In West Virginia, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, the former Democratic governor and secretary of state, is retiring this year at the end of the term.

Relationships have been developed over the years with Johnson and Manchin, local officials said.

Manchin has been among the most accessible, Vienna Mayor Randy Rapp said.

While Manchin's retirement shouldn't directly impact how local governments interact with federal sources, Manchin was a "great resource" and the lines of communication were always open when help was needed, and that goes down to his field staff, said Rapp.

"The community without Joe Manchin. There's going to be a huge void. He was a great resource for all the towns here," Rapp said. "In all the years I've worked with him, with the exception of (former U.S. Rep.) Dave McKinley, Manchin was the most accessible."

Lindsey Piersol, executive director of Wood County Economic Development and the Parkersburg-Wood County Area Development Corp., vouches for Manchin's accessibility.

"Obviously there always comes a time for chapters to close for people, and I wish Sen. Manchin the best when he leaves the Senate," Piersol said. "My hope is that whoever his replacement is will also have a hands-on approach and we look forward to working with his successor as we've enjoyed working with him."

Manchin has been helpful working with the agency on programs and initiatives or trying to attract a company, she said. The senator and his staff have been helpful and effective communicators with the office, Piersol said.

"Any time I've reached out, I've always received a timely response and frankly, in my job, that's invaluable."she said.

Piersol cited Manchin and his staff for the many times they have been to Wood County for celebratory events, meetings and other occasions.

"I have seen Sen. Manchin at incredibly small restaurant openings and at the $100 million-plus opening of Hino. I believe he and his staff always try to make everyone feel equally important and heard," Piersol said. "My favorite memory of Sen. Manchin and his staff visiting us was when they got to see Discovery World on Market for the first time. It's pretty entertaining to see adults experience the exhibits, and there might have been a few people who took a turn going down the slide."

That was a good day for Discovery World on Market, Executive Director Wendy Shriver said. Manchin was in town in February 2023 and Mayor Tom Joyce suggested he go to the Market Street learning center, she said.

After the visit by the senator, Shriver said she applied for federal funds for the renovation of the theater and Manchin earmarked funds for the Phase 2 portion of the project. The budget is pending in Congress.

"If the budget passes, we'll get $300,000 for the theater renovation," Shriver said.

Johnson, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, moved to Marietta when he was in Congress.

"It was awesome having our congressman here," Joe Derkin, chairman of the Washington County Republican Party, said.

Johnson living in Marietta was a tremendous advantage for the region, Derkin said. He was extremely accessible, but also was familiar with the issues facing the area, Derkin said.

"He knew everything that this community was facing," he said.

Johnson had an office on Front Street where people could walk in and get help with their problems, Derkin said.

"I know people who saw him in the grocery store and they talked about their problems," Derkin said.

An issue with James Booth, president of the Washington County Commission, is the status of Johnson's congressional office on Front Street in Marietta. Besides having staff readily available, the office in Marietta is geographically important because Washington County is at the farthest southern end of the 6th Congressional District, Booth said.

Booth said he has gotten assurances from at least two of the Republican candidates to succeed Johnson that they will keep the office in Marietta.

"One of our concerns is are you going to keep this office open in Marietta," Booth said.

The local connection with Johnson was advantageous in being able to contact him "and have that line open to the federal government," Booth said.

The commission closely worked with Johnson on several major projects, Booth said. It was not unusual to call or text him on his cell phone, he said.

His familiarity with the problems were a benefit in obtaining $3 million in federal funding for the Devola Sewer Project, which cut in half the tap fees for residents. Another is the sewer project for the industrial corridor on Ohio 7 between Belpre and Marietta where industries do not have access to a public sewer system, Booth said.

Commissioners also worked with Johnson in support of the Army Spc. Christian D. Ward Act, Booth said. The act requires the military to pay to deliver the personal effects of a deceased service member to the next of kin or another person and makes the Defense Department responsible to go after the contractor who lost, damaged or stole the items to recover the monetary value and give that to the next of kin.

"It's not always money," Booth said.

The act was named after the son of Gary and Karla Ward of Lowell. Gary ran into Johnson at Lowe's and told him of the problem his family had with the return of Christian's personal effects after he died while in military service. Some of the items were missing or stolen, Ward said.

Johnson said he would look into the Ward family's problems and other families in similar circumstances, Ward said.

After the provision was pulled from legislation pending in the Senate, Johnson testified at a committee meeting and asked how the Defense Department can pull legislation and that he got no explanation or response from Gen. Mike Miley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, or Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Ward said.

Johnson worked 26 months to get the act passed, Ward said. The result was the enactment of the Army Spc. Christian D. Ward Act, he said.

"It would never have gone through without his effort," Ward said.

Ward, in appreciation for getting the act through Congress, gave Johnson a shadow box containing some of his son's military items. Around the time Johnson accepted the Youngstown State job, he called Ward to ask him if he wanted the items back because he would no longer be in office.

"I told him to take them with him," Ward said. "He knew how much it meant to us. That's the kind of a guy he is."

Jess Mancini can be reached at jmancini@newsandsentinel.com.

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