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Ormet never stood a chance to get a discount

On Oct. 13, the headline of The Marietta Times read, “Who gets blamed for Ormet?”

First, let me make it clear who is not to blame. It is not the front of Ormet’s highly regarded management team, it is just the opposite. That is exactly what PUCO wants you to believe. During the meeting held in Columbus on Oct. 17, the PUCO chairman spent a lot of his time taking personal jabs at Ormet’s management team. Also at the meeting was an appointed elected official from the governor’s office who was quoted saying he did not want to be in attendance at the meeting, but was sent by the governor’s office who was quoted saying he did not want to be in attendance at the meeting, but was sent by the governor’s office. He was also overheard saying, “He did not like Ormet anyway.”

We refer to this “bunch” as PUCO, but I prefer to call them “Kasich’s Puppets.” I understand they are appointed by the governor … what does that say? It tells me that Ormet never stood a chance to be awarded a discount in the power from AEP so they could keep Ormet running.

One of the dumbest statements coming from the governor’s office was, “That West Virginia has not done anything to help.” Let me remind the governor and all of his “puppets” that Ormet is in Ohio. Has Ohio given any tax dollars from Ormet to West Virginia? Do they also think aluminum is grown in a field like corn?

There have been countless attempts and meetings to Columbus to get Kasich to listen and get involved. All of these attempts were to no avail.

Both salary and hourly employees working together trying to get the governor to listen and help. One, for example, was that salary working along with hours, USWA 5724 had obtained over 10,000 signatures to present to PUCO on a meeting held Oct. 17. This along with every attempt has been ignored. If we were to take a look at the commissioners shredded documents, we would find the remnants of those signatures.

You could not have asked Ormet’s salaried workforce and the hourly workforce that make up USWA Local 5724 to have worked so hard together with anymore dedication to keep Ormet from closing. So if the governor, representatives, PUCO and elected officials are looking for someone to blame, I suggest they take a good look in the mirror. I am sure they see what we all see, a very proud, selfish person staring back at them.

The saddest part of all of this is one phone call from Gov. Kasich could have presented this devastation to the Ohio Valley from happening. I can’t imagine how this “guy” (notice I did not use the word, “man”), feels. I am guessing a great sense of pride.

It is no wonder that the elected governor’s officials approval rating are at an all-time low. I put them in a class with a used car salesman.

Let me in closing be the first and on behalf of all 1,000 out of work employees, wish Gov. Kasich and his family a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Ray Witten

Marietta

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