Group's lawsuit seeks ouster of Ohio jobs chief

COLUMBUS (AP) — A liberal policy group today filed legal action against Gov. John Kasich seeking to force the removal of his development director because the official lives outside the state.

Kasich appointed Mark Kvamme, a friend and noted Silicon Valley venture capitalist, to head the Ohio Department of Development and to help him establish JobsOhio, a semi-private panel that’s poised to handle job-creation functions. He is being paid $1.

ProgressOhio.org claims in a lawsuit filed in the 10th District Court of Appeals that Kvamme is not eligible to serve in Kasich’s cabinet because he’s a California resident and not a qualified Ohio elector.

Kasich spokeswoman Connie Wehrkamp said the office does not comment on litigation.

“We are aware of these issues and are looking into them,” she said. “Out of an abundance of caution and because of the importance of job creation, signing authority has been taken up by other authorized officials in the Department of Development.”