The road back: Ohio town hopes Trump presidency brings turnaround By Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staff on 01.26.17 Word Count 941 The Murphy Theatre in downtown Wilmington, Ohio. Washington Post photo by Thomas Gibbons-Neff WILMINGTON, Ohio - Usually the only political signs left over after an election were along state roads or billboards on the interstate. But this election was different, Gary Ashmore knew, because the Donald Trump signs were still up. After Trump had won the presidency, Ashmore, a lifelong farmer, kept seeing them in people's yards. "Some still have two or three up," said Ashmore, age 58. "I don't know if it's because they elected a winner or they think Trump is going to come in and do something incredible." Here in Wilmington, Trump's phrase "Make America Great Again" is not just a slogan. It's an expectation. Trump came here twice during the campaign, promising to be the voice of "the forgotten men and women of America." Wilmington and surrounding Clinton County responded by casting more votes for Trump than any president since Ronald Reagan was re-elected in 1984. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1
Picture-Perfect American Town Now, as Trump takes office, many residents are cautiously hopeful that the new president will deliver. For Wilmington, his presidency could mean the return of jobs. "I don't really know what it is, or if I have the pulse on it," Ashmore said of Trump's effect on the town. "But it's optimism." Wilmington is a predominantly white town of more than 12,000 people, surrounded by rolling farmland. It has strip malls, four dollar stores, two grain elevators and a sprawling two-runway airfield. Long considered a portrait of small-town America, Wilmington was listed in Norman Crampton's 1995 book, "The 100 Best Small Towns in America." In 1997, Time magazine featured the town in an eight-page article. Then, in 2008, more than 7,000 jobs disappeared almost overnight after the German freight company DHL decided to move one of its main shipping hubs. Wilmington took a major blow. Wilmington Suffers A Massive Blow Wilmington residents recall DHL's departure as "the crash," or "the pull out." Michael O'Machearley, an 11-year employee at the airpark before he was laid off, just calls it "ground zero." In the years afterward, the town turned inward, combating a growing heroin problem while looking for ways to revive its economy by encouraging local businesses to stay. Then, Trump came into the picture. Presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama had all made stops in Wilmington during their political campaigns, but Trump came twice in as many months, and his son Eric showed up unannounced at a local gun show in September. The visits, and Trump's pledge to restore the nation to greatness, resonated. "Years ago, you used to see every color and creed working side by side. Maybe you didn't invite everyone to supper, but you were in it together," O'Machearley said. Community Feels Forgotten By Leaders O'Machearley doesn't expect Trump to do anything directly for Wilmington. But he sees Trump's priorities, his vow to put American businesses and workers first, as promising. "When companies prosper, the economy prospers," O'Machearley said, "and when the economy prospers, we all do." This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2
Obama left a more bitter impression. Joe Hete, the CEO and president of Air Transport Services Group, tells a story of meeting Obama in Dayton soon after DHL left. Hete said Obama looked him in the eye and pledged not to forget Wilmington and Clinton County. Obama said Wilmington's problem would be his problem when he won the presidency, but that never happened, Hete said. From the 100-plus planes operating out of the park during DHL's heyday, Hete is down to 10. But that number that could change in the coming months. The park could be the site of a significant Amazon.com shipping and distribution hub. The prospect has raised many people's hopes for the town, Hete said, particularly given the inauguration of a new president with an appreciation for business. Trump's Promises Nurture Optimism "There's a renewed sense of optimism because here's a guy who understands business and pays attention to the flyover country, and people are encouraged by that," Hete said. The idea that Amazon is the answer to Wilmington's problems is a dangerous one for Taylor Stuckert and Mark Rembert, who are working to ensure Wilmington's success isn't tied to a single company headquartered somewhere else. They are skeptical of Trump. "We're trying to do the hard work at the local level. We're scraping and crawling for anything to make the community a better place," Rembert said. "It's so hard to get people excited about that stuff. But with the 'Make America Great Again' slogan, it's not clear how that connects with the community and Wilmington at all, but it's a very powerful message for people." Warning To Companies Seen As Victory Norm Allen is a more typical Wilmington resident. When he was a kid, the men in his family worked at the Wilmington Airpark, then a military air base. In 1972, the base shut down, and hundreds lost their jobs, including Allen's father and uncle. Now, Allen runs Custom Molded Parts, a plastic parts manufacturing factory. Seventy-five percent of his business is for cars, making small parts like seat clasps and door components primarily for Honda. The rest of his business is mostly dental and medical supplies. Allen sees Trump's warnings to companies like Ford and Carrier, two businesses that threatened to take jobs to Mexico, as an insurance policy that their business is going to stay in Wilmington. "I mean, he's not even president and look what he's doing," Allen said. Others in town also see Trump's warning to corporations as a victory for those "forgotten" between the coasts. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3
"I don't know if we'll ever be a big manufacturing town again, but what Trump brought is his confidence," Allen said, "and that might be enough." This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4
Quiz 1 Read the sentence from the section "Wilmington Suffers A Massive Blow." In the years afterward, the town turned inward, combating a growing heroin problem while looking for ways to revive its economy by encouraging local businesses to stay. How does the word "combating" affect the TONE of the sentence? It conveys the sense that the people are fighting a brutal situation. It conveys the sense that the people are feeling victorious about the situation. It conveys the sense that the people have given up trying to make things better. It conveys the sense that the people have organized a strategy for making things better. 2 Read the sentences from the section "Warning To Companies Seen As Victory." Allen sees Trump's warnings to companies like Ford and Carrier, two businesses that threatened to take jobs to Mexico, as an insurance policy that their business is going to stay in Wilmington. "I mean, he's not even president and look what he's doing," Allen said. The author uses the phrase "insurance policy" to mean: a contract a guarantee a payment a law This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5
3 Which of the following sentences would be MOST important to include in an objective summary of the article? Ashmore was shocked to continue seeing Trump signs in Wilmington long after the election. O'Machearley does not expect Trump to do anything directly but still has amazing faith in the economy. Hete believes people have a renewed sense of optimism about Trump bringing jobs back to town. Stuckert and Rembert are skeptical of Trump's exaggerated promises to their community. 4 The CENTRAL ideas of the article are developed by: comparing the mood and attitudes about the future held by townsfolk before the election with the changes that were brought by the results contrasting the economy of the town when many people were employed by DHL with the economy and prospects now that many have been laid off weaving together descriptions of the effects the economy and election have had on the town with people's personal opinions of Trump's promises alternating between the perspectives on the election of people who supported Trump with their confidence and those who opposed him out of concern This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 6