By Edward P. Noga
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – I can still hum in my mind the WRTA jingle that was part of an advertising campaign in 1984 to boost ridership on our local mass transit system. The jingle was very catchy and part of a well-coordinated effort to remind people of the importance and availability of mass transit in the Mahoning Valley.
In the United States, we are very accustomed to getting into our vehicle to get from point A to point B. Sometimes we forget that there are segments of our society who lack transportation or are unable to get a driver’s license.
In 1984, as the WRTA jingle was playing on radio and TV commercials, I was in parish ministry as a Roman Catholic priest in Austintown. Like many, I was still very cognizant of the statement Youngstown Mayor Jack C. Hunter made Sept. 19, 1977:
Ladies and Gentlemen, the news we received this morning from Youngstown Sheet & Tube is just the worst possible news that we as your elected public officials could have received.
By the time the WRTA jingle, “What A Lift,” hit the airwaves seven years later, our Valley had lost 50,000 jobs.
That year, the new Youngstown Business Journal featured the WRTA promotion as its first success story. Subsequent editions lifted up other success stories to create a stream of positive news as Mahoning Valley residents reckoned with what we had lost: much of our identity, our population and potentially our future.
In April 1985, I was named pastor of St. Patrick Church on Youngstown’s South Side. Over the next 34 years, I met some of the most committed parishioners, wonderful neighbors and forward-thinking community leaders and citizens, for which I will always be grateful. My neighbors and parishioners were the energy that made the parish and its school a beacon of hope.
Throughout my tenure, edition after edition of the Youngstown Business Journal looked at the history of the Mahoning Valley and made critical and crucial observations and suggestions concerning current issues.
Stories and opinions were published to better the lives of our citizens, to tout the success stories of positive individuals, groups, companies and organizations.
The name of The Business Journal subsequently changed, losing Youngstown in its title, to reflect a more regional identity. Its spirit of empowerment and encouragement stayed the same. The mission of keeping families and businesses here in northeastern Ohio by informing, encouraging and challenging them has been augmented by an aggressive partnering with other people and organizations to bring new business and citizens here.
The fabric of community life and good citizenship is crucial in the lives of individuals and families. At fundraisers and community gatherings, we often hear folks say, “We just wanted to give back.” The energy behind such statements has an invaluable part to play, regardless of its size and how many citizens claim the Valley as home.
For me, recent collaborative efforts that spurred our governor, Mike DeWine, to visit the Valley this past April to designate northeastern Ohio as the seventh economic development region in Ohio was a major win for our part of the state and our citizens.
This designation helps to bring the strengths and energy of every community – lake to river, from the smallest townships and villages to the largest cities – in the four-county region to a greater purpose and possibilities.
It demands talking to one another and sharing with one another on a level not known before. It will take extra energy but it will provide the impetus that will produce extra benefits.
Thank you, Business Journal, for giving us the news, opinions and challenges to be the best citizens we can be.
Keep lifting us up and pushing us forward.