McCain To Visit Wilmington, Discuss DHL Job Cuts
Wednesday, August 6, 2008 – updated: 2:38 pm EDT August 9, 2008
WILMINGTON, Ohio -- Republican Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain has scheduled a private meeting with members of the DHL task force Thursday.The group was formed after DHL, Clinton County’s largest employer, announced plans to cut 8,200 jobs at the Wilmington Air Park. The company intends to contract out its air cargo work to a competitor, UPS.McCain is not expected to speak publicly in Wilmington.His visit comes one month after Democratic candidate Sen. Barack Obama met privately with representatives of the task force. The meeting came just prior to a campaign event in Dayton.Obama told WHIOTV.COM after the event that he would do what he could to help people in Wilmington, but he was unsure if there was a legal basis to block the DHL job loss.McCain’s meeting, even before it happened, has come under fire from Democrats.Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, said McCain has been slow to respond to the situation.In a conference call with reporters, Brown said Wednesday that McCain’s campaign manager, Rick Davis was once a lobbyist for DHL when the company was in the process of buying out Airborne.Brown said McCain himself helped to block a Senate amendment that would have stalled the Airborne deal.“I am questioning why Mr. Davis and Sen. McCain will not use the connections they have with this foreign company, Deustche Poste, to help the citizens of Wilmington. Just use your connections. Help us any way you can. It may not save the jobs, but it might,” Brown said. Wilmington Mayor David Raizk told the Associated Press he is encouraged that McCain is coming to his city of 12,000."This is worthy of every presidential candidate's attention," Raizk said."Whether it's a vote-changing issue or not, I think it might be a little too early to tell. It's a matter of making sure our situation here stays on the front burner," Raizk said.Jim.otte@whiotv.com
Previous Stories:
- August 5, 2008: 2 Lawmakers Seek Federal Review Of UPS-DHL Proposal
- July 28, 2008: New Developments In Fight For DHL Jobs
- July 26, 2008: Lt. Gov. Holds Town Hall Meeting On DHL
- July 25, 2008: Wilmington Meeting Set On DHL Developments
- July 22, 2008: Hearings On DHL Planned For Wilmington
- July 14, 2008: Sen. Sherrod Brown Takes Up DHL Job Fight
- June 26, 2008: Sen. Sherrod Brown Opens DHL Website
- June 25, 2008: Brown Seeks Help On DHL
- June 24, 2008: Ohio AG To Investigate DHL, UPS Proposal
- June 17, 2008: Ohio Officials Fight To Keep 6,000 DHL Jobs
- June 10, 2008: Turner, Brown, Voinovich Seek Investigation Into DHL Job Losses
- June 4, 2008: Gov. Tells DHL ‘We’ll Fight For Jobs’
- June 3, 2008: Gov. Strickland Meeting With DHL
- June 3, 2008: Economic Task Force For DHL Hub In Wilmington
- May 30, 2008: DHL Announces 6,000 Job Cuts
Copyright 2008 by WHIOTV.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.










Ask Chef Jeff
Free Classifieds
Student Athlete Of The Week
Tame Your Credit Card Interest Today
Surviving The Economy
Celebrity Politics: Who Backs Whom?
Do You Know What Alcohol Dependence Is?
Buy It For Half
Health Connections


