Kasich takes on lobbyists
COLUMBUS
You could call this the lobbyist season down at the Statehouse. Or maybe the advocacy season.
It’s the time of year when groups devoted to one cause or another redouble their efforts to convince policy makers of the value and necessity of state programs and the need for continued — and in some cases expanded — funding to ensure Ohioans have access to them over the next two fiscal years.
From now through the end of June, when lawmakers are supposed to finalize the state’s spending plans for the biennium, you’ll see them walking the halls of the Statehouse and adjacent government buildings.
They’re also planning press conferences to spread the word about the dire consequences of deep budget cuts to the populations they serve. They’re not all bad; many are serving an important purpose and role in drawing attention to things that need more attention.
I don’t think that Gov. John Kasich is necessarily turning a cold shoulder to their causes when he rails against special interests with their snouts in the trough.
But he continues to be blunt in his assessment of needed cuts to state spending.
‘Big problems’
“I am not at war with special interest groups as long as they’re not just trying to get the last gasp of air in the coal mine,” he told Statehouse reporters last week. “We have big problems in this state. We have to balance this budget. And I want to do it in a way that is going to be the most accommodating and the most helpful for the people of the state.”
He added, “I’m just asking Ohioans to think beyond their own client base.”
Some groups — most recently, a new coalition of mostly labor unions — are urging Kasich and lawmakers to include tax increases as a means of dealing with a purported $8 billion hole in the next two-year budget.
“I have to tell you, groups asking for more tax increases, I’ll tell you all that does is put us in a deeper hole,” he said. “I cannot compete with a high-tax environment in this state. I can’t compete. And we’re having trouble now competing. We’re losing businesses. We’ve got to become more competitive if we’re going to help the people get work.”
That goes for business-related groups, too.
“I told [the National Federation of Independent Businesses during its recent meeting] you are one of the most important organizations early on to support me,” Kasich said. “I appreciate it very much. But I hope that you supported me and believe that you supported me because of what I represented, which is free markets, reform, change and job growth. If you supported me for something that you thought you were gonna get, you’re going to be sorely disappointed.”
He added, “It’s when you wink and nod at somebody and give somebody something special that you lose the moral high ground. I don’t want to lose the moral high ground.”
Marc Kovac is The Vindicator’s Statehouse correspondent. E-mail him at mkovac@dixcom.com or on Twitter at OhioCapitalBlog.