The latest from Detroit

To hear Ohio’s new governor tell it, Detroit automakers view Ohio as “not competitive,” “not cooperative” and projecting a “bad attitude and bad impression.”

John Kasich, who visited the Detroit auto show on his second day in office, met privately with representatives of General Motors, Chrysler and Ford. He gave his “sobering” assessment of Ohio’s reputation with U.S. automakers afterward, but without much specificity.

He didn’t indicate whether this deterioration in Ohio’s standing with the auto industry is attributable to the four-year administration of former Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, or extends as well to the 16 years of Republican governance under Bob Taft and George Voinovich.

No one is in a position to dispute Kasich’s reading of the atmosphere — the companies declined comment on private meetings, and Ohio State University President Gordon Gee or University of Toledo President Lloyd Jacobs, who were there, are unlikely to contradict the governor.

If GM and Chrysler see Kasich as a better match for their corporate interests in Ohio, they’ve obviously already gotten past any residual feelings about his opposition to the federal bailout that saved the companies from oblivion. And that‘s good for Ohio.

Making things better

If the new governor can provide General Motors better job training programs and other support than did Voinovich, Taft and Strickland, more power to him.

We have to say that a parade of General Motors officials who came through the Mahoning Valley over the years during which the company invested about $1 billion in the Lordstown plant never gave the impression they were unhappy with Ohio policy. And that includes Mark Reuss, GM’s president for North America, who was at Lordstown in September for the rollout of the Chevrolet Cruze.

“This is everything for us,” Reuss said. “Winning in this small compact car segment is our first demonstration that we can win, that we can beat whatever the market throws at us.”

Winning Cruze production at Lordstown was everything for the Mahoning Valley. It saved more than 4,000 jobs at the plant and tens of thousands of spin-off jobs.

If Kasich can do better than that, we’re as eager as anyone to see it.