[9][10] He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in government in 1958 from Ohio University, where he was a member of the fraternity Phi Kappa Tau and served as president of the student body and the men's dormitory system.

[12][13][14] By 1979, elections in Cleveland had become nonpartisan, and with then-Mayor Dennis J. Kucinich (D) about to enter a tough reelection campaign, Voinovich began to consider running for mayor again.

[15] Aside from Kucinich, Voinovich's opponents in the race included State Senator Charles Butts and city council majority leader Basil Russo.

Once elected, he met with Ohio Governor James Rhodes to solicit the state government's help in clearing up the city's debts.

Voinovich negotiated a debt repayment schedule and in October 1980, with the state serving as guarantor, eight local banks lent Cleveland $36.2 million, allowing the city to emerge from default.

[citation needed] By the time Voinovich was elected, Cleveland had become the butt of late night comedians' jokes about the Cuyahoga River and Mayor Ralph Perk's hair catching fire (in separate incidents)[21] and as the only major American city to go bankrupt.

For instance, The Smythe-Cramer Co., a local realty firm, tried to restore the city's former glory by running a series of ads with photographs of downtown Cleveland captioned "Take Another Look.

[24] The restoration campaign reached its peak in October in the society magazine Town and Country's article "Cleveland's Come-Around", which said that "businessmen, lawyers and concerned citizens" had rescued the city from "the petulant, pugnacious Dennis Kucinich".

It called Voinovich's Operation Improvement Task Force under E. Mandell de Windt "the most significant undertaking in Cleveland since Moses Cleaveland stepped ashore on the bank of the Cuyahoga River in 1786".

[citation needed] So confident was Voinovich that during election season he even attracted presidential candidates Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan to debate in Cleveland.

"During the past year, convention business has flourished, school desegregation has proceeded peacefully, and a modest construction boom has begun....

"[25] In order to allow them to accomplish more, Voinovich felt that the terms for mayor and members of the Cleveland City Council ought to be extended.

[citation needed] During the Voinovich years neighborhoods began to see some improvement, starting with the Lexington Village housing project, $149 million in Urban Development Action Grants, and $3 billion of construction underway or completed.

"[citation needed] The rebuilding process began through Voinovich's administration and improvements were made throughout the company including equipment upgrades and increased wages for all employees.

Voinovich defeated the Democratic nominee, Anthony J. Celebrezze Jr.[30] During his first four years he pulled Ohio out of a $1.5 billion deficit and led efforts to reform welfare and eliminate unfunded mandates.

[citation needed] As both mayor and governor, Voinovich helped to advertise Cleveland as the true birthplace of rock and roll.

He frequently joined Democrats on tax issues and in 2000 was the only Republican in Congress to vote against a bill providing for relief from the "marriage penalty".

[citation needed] In November 2004, in his bid for reelection, Voinovich defeated the Democratic nominee, Ohio state senator and former U.S. Representative Eric D. Fingerhut.

[36] Voinovich gained national attention when he gave a speech tearfully opposing President George W. Bush's nomination of John R. Bolton for U.S.

[citation needed] In January 2007, Voinovich expressed concern to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that Bush's plan to increase troop levels in Iraq would not be effective: "At this stage of the game, I don't think it's going to happen."

[42] His appointment marked the first time an Ohioan served on the coveted Senate committee since Mike DeWine lost his 2006 reelection bid.

[44][45][46][47][48][49] As the Senate's leading debt hawk, Voinovich introduced the Securing America's Future Economy (SAFE) Commission Act in every Congress in which he served.

In his 2010 State of the Union address Obama announced that he would create the debt commission by executive order because it had failed to pass the Senate.

[50] Called "the Senate's leading Balkan expert"[27] and a "leader in the fight against anti-Semitism and hate crime against all groups," Voinovich was a key voice on the Foreign Relations Committee about the OSCE and the relationship between the United States and countries in Eastern Europe in particular.

Voinovich was an active participant in the annual Brussels Forum from its inception in 2007, and served as chairman of the U.S. congressional delegation to the conference in 2010.

[50] As senator and a prominent member of its Foreign Relations Committee, Voinovich consistently supported measures to strengthen Israel.

In addition, Voinovich devoted himself to combating anti-Semitism, especially through involvement in the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe and its Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

Government Executive wrote, "no matter what anyone thinks of George Voinovich or Daniel Akaka's politics in general, no one can deny that they know their federal employee issues cold.

He supported clean air legislation ("Voinovich has idea on clearing the air", The Dayton Daily News, April 30, 2002) and argued for nuclear-energy development because it "provides a dependable, continuous stream of electricity, supports thousands of jobs, and does not emit any greenhouse gases" ("Depoliticizing decisions", The Columbus Dispatch, June 12, 2010).

He served as Chairman and ranking member of the EPW Clean Air and Nuclear Safety Subcommittee, introducing legislation that helped to pave the way for applications for new nuclear power plants in the U.S.[50] Voinovich sponsored legislation aimed to protect the Great Lakes from foreign species and preserve "our ultimate jewels, the five Great Lakes".