Turning over job development efforts—from government to a nonprofit— as the Columbus Dispatch reports, makes perfect sense, as the connection to the private sector, the largest producer of jobs in the American economy, will be strengthened.
An excerpt.
“Gov. John Kasich will set in motion one of his key campaign promises when he signs a bill Friday allowing him to privatize Ohio's economic-development efforts.
“Swift action by state lawmakers culminated yesterday in a bipartisan vote in the Senate and another contentious debate in the House over whether JobsOhio, the new nonprofit corporation, would be constitutionally sound and transparent enough to avoid scandal.
“The bill "will enable Ohio to begin the process of fielding a top-flight development team that speaks the language of business and moves at the rapid pace of today's world economy," said Sen. Mark Wagoner, R-Toledo.
“The bill allows Kasich's team, headed by his development director, California venture capitalist Mark Kvamme, to replace the Department of Development with a nonprofit corporation headed by a board of business leaders appointed by the governor.
“Kvamme and other supporters, including a number of business groups, have argued that Ohio's current economic-development efforts are not fast or flexible enough to keep up with competition from other states and countries for jobs.
“The board would use potentially hundreds of millions of dollars in publicly funded incentives to help attract jobs and grow companies. It also plans to raise millions in private dollars that can be used to take equity in companies, with the goal of one day making JobsOhio a self-sustaining entity.
“House Democrats said Kasich suggested to them in a closed-door meeting on Tuesday that the state might direct some money from the sale or lease of the turnpike to JobsOhio, which they said raised constitutional questions.
“Republicans called JobsOhio a vital first step toward stopping the state's economic slide.
"Ohio must embrace new, innovative job-creation methods, and with JobsOhio we will be able to pursue economic opportunities otherwise unattainable through our outdated development structure," Kasich said in a statement.
“The Senate passed the bill 31-2 with wide Democratic support, after majority Republicans agreed to a number of changes that strengthened or clarified provisions related to JobsOhio operations.”
About
- David H. Lukenbill
- I am a California native, married, we have one daughter and live close to the American River with two cats and all the wild critters we can feed. I am a management consultant to nonprofit organizations and have an Associates of Arts degree in Administration of Justice from Sacramento City College, a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Behavior from the University of San Francisco and a Master of Public Administration degree, also from the University of San Francisco.