“It’s about jobs and wages and economic security and investment in the communities like Trotwood,” Ryan said.
Ryan represents Ohio’s 13th district which is in northeast Ohio near Youngstown. He is running against multiple candidates on the Republican side, including J.D. Vance, an author and attorney, Josh Mandel, the former Ohio treasurer who ran against Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown in 2018, and Jane Timken, the former Ohio Republican party chair. Portman announced he would not seek another term in January.
Ryan said it’s important for local communities to have vision, leadership and partners in Washington, D.C., to reinvent their economies.
McDonald said the city is pivoting away from focusing on retail jobs, which she noted do not always pay a living wage. Instead, she said the city is focusing on attracting better-paying jobs.
“One thing that we do is we don’t make it difficult for people if they want to come here,” McDonald said. “We want them to, and we let them know we want them in every way we possibly can and we support them in getting the things they need.”
Martha Logan, president of Korrect, asked Ryan what he planned to do to help small businesses like hers. Ryan talked about tax reform for small businesses, but said he also is in favor of raising the minimum wage so that more families can afford her services.
Logan said she worried about raising the minimum wage and hurting other small businesses. She said her workers start at between $14 and $17 per hour and can earn about double that once they’ve gotten more experience.
Logan told Ryan she also needed help attracting employees and getting people back to work. She said she’s had people commit to job interviews they don’t show up for, though she said she also worried about people not being able to get childcare.
“There’s always something about a situation you don’t know,” she said.
Logan said she appreciated the opportunity to talk to Ryan face-to-face, and appreciated he listened to her arguments.
“I chose to have the meeting and allow him to come through because if I don’t, then I’m not going to be heard,” she said.
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