Speaking at RNC Was ‘Awe-inspiring,’ East Palestine Mayor Says

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio – Mayor Trent Conaway has hosted some of the country’s biggest names since a Norfolk Southern train derailed in the village more than 17 months ago.

But perhaps none of it prepared him for the chance to speak at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night.

“It was crazy,” Conaway said Thursday. “It was awe-inspiring – to think a mayor of 5,000 people was speaking to a crowd of 50,000 people.”

Conaway said he received mainly positive feedback from people at the RNC, which wrapped up Thursday in Milwaukee, Wis.

“People feel bad for what we went through,” said Conaway, adding he wants people to know he’s a proud Ohioan, and East Palestine continues to persevere.

While he did not reveal the names of those he spoke to at the convention, Conaway said he did receive a personal message from former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee. Trump congratulated him on his speech and told him, “We plan to do great things in Ohio.”

Trump’s pick for vice president, Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, also was among those who visited East Palestine following the derailment and was among those who introduced the Railway Safety Act. Just last week, Vance vowed, “I won’t stop fighting for those residents until they get the accountability they deserve.”

Conaway said while he was honored and proud to speak at the Republican event, he knew he would receive some criticism back home. While still in Milwaukee, he said he has seen some fallout on Facebook.

During his three-minute speech at the RNC, Conaway took the time to thank the local first responders who rushed to the scene of the derailment. Then he detailed the difference, from his perspective, in the response by Trump and President Joe Biden, calling it the “difference between leadership and incompetence.”

“We need a leader who values small town communities as much as big cities,” Conaway said during his speech. “We need a president who loves all Americans. We need Donald J. Trump.”

Conaway said his political views are his own, and he knows others in East Palestine obviously disagree with his choice for president.

“I was speaking for myself. Those were my feelings,” he said Thursday morning.

Despite knowing his speech would draw criticism, Conaway said he did it because speaking on the national stage keeps the story in the news. That way, leaders and others across the country do not forget about what happened to East Palestine on Feb. 3, 2023, as well as the problems the village continues to face.

During a meeting of county leaders at the Columbiana County Port Authority on Thursday, Mara Dowdy, program coordinator of Town Center Associates of Beaver, Pa., said the organization has been looking at the number of retail locations available for sale in downtowns throughout Columbiana County. Five of the six they have found so far are in East Palestine.

There were already some empty storefronts in town before the derailment, and not all closures can be blamed directly on the derailment. But, slowly, more storefronts are emptying in the village.

In the aftermath of the derailment, both local and chain stores have closed. Dogs on the Run, which was a locally owned hot dog and ice cream shop, closed, as well as a Family Dollar. 

McKim’s Honeyvine & Winery was slated to open soon after the derailment but never got off the ground. Mike and Ashley McKim announced this week that the renovated location in the village will be available for lease. They plan to try to open their business again, this time with a location in Columbiana.

Your Sports Network, which broadcasts local sports events, also moved operations to Columbiana. DJ Yokely, founder and CEO, had a seat on Village Council a few years ago and also has been publicly vocal about the federal response.

This past week, Rite Aid placed store closing signs in front of the business at the main intersection in the village. Conaway said village officials are working hard in hopes another pharmacy can be convinced to open in the space. Though Rite Aid, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in 2023, is closing many of its stores and the decision is not directly related to the derailment, the pharmacy was the village’s only remaining pharmacy. Customers are being told their prescriptions are being transferred to Chippewa, Pa.

Pictured at top: East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway speaks at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee on Wednesday. (AP Photo | J. Scott Applewhite)

Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.