Advisory Board of Governors

U.S. Senator George V. Voinovich

Throughout his distinguished career in service to the people of Ohio, U.S. Senator George V. Voinovich has strived to make government “work harder and smarter and do more with less.”

These words provide good insight into the man who helped turn Cleveland around after it became the first major city to declare bankruptcy since the Great Depression, who led Ohio through the early-1990s recession and who transformed Ohio state government to improve the quality of services, all while keeping state spending to its lowest growth rate in three decades. Sen. Voinovich’s accomplishments are indicative of his priorities as a public servant: to improve the lives of Ohioans while practicing true fiscal responsibility.

Sen. Voinovich has a strong record of getting results. When he postponed his statewide political aspirations to return to his hometown as mayor in 1979, Cleveland was in dire financial straits; but embracing his motto “Together we can do it,” he established a system of public-private partnerships that drew upon the city’s best minds. Together, they rebuilt city government and restored Clevelanders’ trust and pride. Under his leadership, Cleveland was the only city in America to be named an “All-American City” three times in a five-year period.

George Voinovich was recognized on many fronts for his role in bringing Cleveland back from the brink. His work as mayor earned him praise from the National Urban Coalition, which hailed him as one of four distinguished urban mayors in America, as well as City and State magazine, which named him to the “All-Pro Management Team” and recognized him as one of the top three mayors in the country. In 1985, he was elected president of the National League of Cities, on whose board he sat from 1981-1989. George Voinovich is the only person to have served as chairman of the National Governors Association and president of the National League of Cities.

When he took the oath of governor in 1991, he again took over a bleeding red budget, and again, brought it back into the black. By curbing state spending and balancing the budget, George Voinovich led reforms of the state government that held budgetary growth to its lowest rate in 30 years, an unprecedented accomplishment in an era when increased budgets were the status quo. His service earned him Governing magazine’s “Public Official of the Year” award for 1995.

Fiscal responsibility, however, did not prevent then-Governor Voinovich from pushing for economic developments. At his request and as part of his jobs incentives package, the Ohio Legislature enacted manufacturing machinery and equipment tax incentives, as well as other incentives, to help draw new business and revitalization into Ohio. And it worked. Between 1993 and 1997, Ohio was ranked number one in the nation by Site Selection and Industrial Development magazine three times for highest number of new facilities, expanded facilities and new manufacturing plants. These tax incentives were later challenged in the Cuno vs. Daimler/Chrysler case, when the 6th Circuit Court found them in violation of the interstate commerce clause, but Sen. Voinovich has responded to this decision in the Senate with The Economic Development Act of 2005, which would allow these tax incentives to stand.

Sen. Voinovich has received numerous accolades for his community contributions. The son of first-generation Americans, Sen. Voinovich is a great advocate for volunteerism. His parents instilled in him the belief that along with citizenship comes the responsibility to give back to the community and country. He has manifested this belief in his life as a public servant, using his God-given talents to help others. In 1984, he received the Distinguished Service Award from the YMCA of Greater Cleveland for his commitment to enriching the community and making significant contributions to the volunteer movement. Sen. Voinovich’s contributions to the community in and out of government have also been recognized by the Boy Scouts of America, who honored him with the Silver Beaver award for distinguished service to youth, and by Cleveland’s chapter of the American Red Cross, which gave him the 2000 Red Cross Community Leader Award.

Sen. Voinovich has long been concerned with the rising problem of anti-Semitism. Throughout his career he has worked to call attention to this problem and galvanize resources to combat it. These efforts have been recognized by the Jewish community. In 1981, he was awarded the Jewish National Fund Tree of Life award in recognition of his devoted service to the city of Cleveland and his commitment to Israel. In 1986, he received the National Conference for Christians and Jews Humanitarian award.

Sen. Voinovich recognizes and understands the fierce competition of the global marketplace and the impact on jobs in Ohio. With manufacturing under siege, energy and health care costs on the rise and a litigation tornado sweeping through America, the clarion call for powerful leadership is sounding – and Sen. Voinovich is answering the call. He has advanced an aggressive agenda that seeks to protect manufacturing from unfair competition and is working to level the playing field by enforcing trade laws and developing programs to protect intellectual property rights. He has also been a leader in the Senate by successfully persuading the administration to create the new position of Assistant Secretary of Manufacturing and Services under the Department of Commerce. His agenda seeks to protect the many manufacturing jobs that form the backbone of Ohio’s economy.

Fulfilling his career-long commitment to fiscal responsibility, Sen. Voinovich regularly takes to the Senate floor to remind his colleagues of the consequences of excessive spending. Pushing for initiatives to keep spending down and improve fiscal discipline has earned his the title of the Senate’s top “debt hawk.” His untiring efforts to prevent excessive deficit growth stem from his deep commitment to the legacy we will leave to the next generation of Americans.

The senator also knows that to remain competitive, the United States must control energy costs and has called for a “Second Declaration of Independence” from foreign sources of energy. Much like our nation committed itself when the Russians launched Sputnik and we entered the race to space, Sen. Voinovich believes we should have a national commitment to becoming energy independent. With so much at stake, leaders can no longer merely feign interest in our country’s energy needs.

This is important not just for the economy, but for our national security. In this era when the United States is engaged in a Global War on Terror, energy independence is even more critical. The nation that is energy independent is the nation that will be the dominant force of the 21st century. Work must begin now to prepare for the future.

Sen. Voinovich also understands that one of the most crucial domestic issues facing Americans is access to quality health care. While the Medicare Modernization Act, which makes prescription drugs more affordable for seniors, was a good first step, Sen. Voinovich went further and has introduced his Health Partnership Act of 2006. This legislation would allow states and local government entities to “experiment” with proposals currently bottled up in Congress and reward them when they achieve reductions in their number of uninsured. The legislation recognizes that successful policy is more likely to emerge from the experimentation in states than from attempts to find a one-size-fits-all solution for the entire nation stemming from Washington.

Last but not least, Sen. Voinovich knows that in order to take on the challenges of the future, the federal government must have the right people with the right skills at the right place at the right time. As chairman and now ranking member of the Oversight of Government Management Subcommittee, he has made the reform of the federal workforce his top priority. Through aggressive oversight and focused legislative changes, he is providing the federal government with the tools it needs to recruit and retain the skilled employees required to meet our nation’s changing needs.

Sen. Voinovich’s integrity and commitment to building consensus to get things done for all Americans are unsurpassed and have made him one of the nation’s most respected and admired public servants. For all of his contributions to Ohio and the nation, The National Journal has called Sen. Voinovich “one of five local and state officials who make a difference in Washington.”

© 2007 Partnership for Public Service