Brown, Ryan React to Williams Appointment
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan are lauding former Youngstown mayor Jay Williams’ appointment as deputy director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs in the White House.
The appointment comes less than a year after the Obama Administration named Williams, who was elected mayor in 2005 and had been elected to a second four-year term in 2009, to serve as director of the Office of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers in the U.S. Department of Labor.
Any time the Mahoning Valley has representation directly in the White House is a good thing, and Williams “showed his qualifications and his strengths” when he worked in the auto recovery office, remarked Brown, D-Ohio. He also praised Williams’ ability to work with local governments. “I think this is good for the Valley. I think it will be good for the country,” he said.
As Youngstown’s mayor, Ryan knew Williams “had the determination, skills and work ethic to take on great responsibility,” and congratulated him on his promotion to “a job that literally puts him in the White House,” the congressman said in a statement.
“Jay Williams is a good friend, and I know that he will be a friend to Youngstown and the entire Mahoning Valley,” Ryan, D-17 Ohio, remarked. “We have a great story to tell about our resurgent manufacturing sector, and although we won’t be satisfied until all of our workers are employed, I know we can count on the former mayor to make sure our voice is heard.”
Copyright 2012 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.