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Put up or shut up, Kasich tells critics of JobsOhio plan
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Governor John Kasich
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
Gov. John Kasich is defending his plan to privatize the Ohio Department of Development, calling Democrats who oppose his agenda obstructionists who should “put up or shut up.”
“There isn’t any question that JobsOhio is constitutional,” Kasich told reporters Tuesday, one day after a lawsuit was filed in the Ohio Supreme Court to stop the new private nonprofit from moving forward.
He added later, “If you don’t like our agenda, lay yours out. Just don’t stand in the weeds and throw rocks.”
JobsOhio was created by lawmakers and Kasich earlier this year to administer the state’s economic development programs, which are currently housed in the Ohio Department of Development. It will be headed by Kasich, with other board members he will appoint.
Supporters say the new nonprofit is needed to enable the state to respond more quickly to companies thinking about expanding or relocating in Ohio. They also believe JobsOhio will allow the state to take an ownership stake in growing companies, creating a potential funding stream for additional economic development activities.
But opponents believe the setup is counter to the state constitution, giving the governor increased power, hiding deliberations on business-incentive decisions from public view and establishing new state appropriations and debt, among other issues.
On Monday, Sen. Mike Skindell, from Cleveland, Rep. Dennis Murray, from Sandusky, and Progress Ohio, a liberal policy group, filed suit against Kasich and members of his administration to block the JobsOhio plan.
“Everyone is in favor of economic development, and the constitution balances between corporate welfare and true economic development,” Skindell said in a released statement. “There are ways to do House Bill 1 that follow the constitution, and this is not the way.”
But Kasich said the lawsuit is the latest attempt by detractors to distract him and his administration from moving ahead on policies designed to boost Ohio’s economy.
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