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Vienna Air Base Is McKelvey's 'One Swing at the Ball'
"By George NelsonYOUNGSTOWN, Ohio -- The city Board of Control met briefly Friday afternoon so the city could award two construction contracts for the $41 million Youngstown Convocation Center project. Then came the main event as Mayor George M. McKelvey regaled reporters with details about his visit Thursday to the White House.The contracts were awarded to S.A. Communale, which will provide the fire protectionsystem for $486,000, and to Cherokee Glass, which will be paid $462,000 to providewindows and glass.The board of control meeting had been rescheduled from Thursday morning because McKelvey was invited by President Bush to attend the annual Shamrock Reception. The mayor said 200 guests attended, including the sisters of Robert McCartney. The Irish Republican Army has been implicated in McCartney's death.After leaving the reception, McKelvey said the president's office later called him inviting him to dinner. Among the 60 at the dinner were NBC's Washington bureau chief Tim Russert, author Tom Clancy and Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, McKelvey said.McKelvey discussed a variety of topics related to Youngstown and the Mahoning Valley with Bush and other government officials at the two events, he said, including the importance of the Youngstown Air Reserve Station. McKelvey is confident, he said, that, as a result of his visit, Bush is "keenly aware" of the base's significance and that he is sensitive to the impact its closing would have. "I would like to say I'm cautiously optimistic," the mayor said. "I think it's too early in the process. My prayer is that our base by its merits alone is not on the closure list." McKelvey and the president did not discuss the mayor's job prospects in Washington, he said. Because McKelvey, a Democrat, endorsed Bush, a Republican, for re-election last summer, many have speculated the mayor could receive an appointment in Washington or Columbus.Nor did McKelvey discuss potential cuts Bush has proposed in his budget to the Community Development Block Grant program, he said. "I've learned that it's important that you're going to get one swing at the ball so you'd better make you've decided on what you feel your key issue is, and the most important issue in your community at this point in time," he said. "Despite the fact that it's [the air base] not within the borders of the city of Youngstown, it's important to all of us in the Mahoning Valley, and that's the issue that everybody's working together on." "