Residents of the small Ohio town where vice president-elect J.D. Vance grew up and made famous in his best-selling memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” expressed disappointment that he did little for them during his two years in the United States Senate representing their state.
According to the Guardian’s Stephen Starr, under normal circumstances, residents of Middletown, Ohio, would be overjoyed that a local had become vice president, but the town—where 38 percent of voters voted for the Democratic ticket—has mostly ignored his historic accomplishment.
According to Starr, it took an appeal from Vance’s mother and a few others to persuade the town fathers to do anything to honor the local boy who succeeded.
“The City of Middletown waited a full month to publicly acknowledge Vance and Trump’s election victory on its Facebook page.
One council member who supports Vance called that ‘unacceptable,'” the report states before adding, “City council members declined to respond to Vance’s mother’s request at the time, though the city has since said it was discussing plans to mark Vance’s new position, which included erecting street signs.”
According to one local, there is little reason for pride.
“When I look around and want to see what this quote-unquote financial heavy hitter has done for this community, I’m still looking,” said Dr. Celeste Didlick-Davis, who added, “Other individuals, a variety of people who have done significant things, have supported growth and transformation [in Middown].
To learn about what [Vance] has done for this community, I would have to conduct extensive research, which I should not have to do. “You’ve been a senator for two years; have we had one visit that benefited someone?”
Scotty Robertson, a member of the local Democratic Party, had little positive to say about Vance.
“He returns when he needs to deliver a political speech. If someone could show me one thing that JD Vance has done better in Middletown, I’d retract everything I’ve said about him,” Robertson admitted.
Business owner Adriane Scherrer told the Guardian, “That really sends chills up people’s spines.”
“There is no indication that [Trump or Vance] understand the value of immigration in our country. What concerns people the most is that there is no acknowledgment of the harm that deportations would cause,” Scherrer continued.
Summing up what Vance has done, Didlick-Davis suggested, “I just see my community being overlooked and underserved.”
