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Dems: Kasich, GOP can’t take credit for auto-industry revival
By Marc Kovac
COLUMBUS
Democratic state legislative leaders criticized Gov. John Kasich and Republican GOP presidential hopeful Mitt Romney for not backing federal support for automotive companies but trying to take credit for jobs those companies are creating.
Minority Leader Capri Cafaro, a Democrat from Liberty, and Rep. Matt Szollosi, a Democrat from Toledo, said it was President Barack Obama and other Democrats who spearheaded the preservation and advancement of the U.S. automobile industry when Republicans were opposed to the bailout plan.
The governor was in Toledo on Wednesday, announcing an expansion at a Chrysler plant that could mean 1,100 jobs. Since taking office, Kasich has made comments about his work to aid the industry.
“I was up there after the election, and I had one of the big car company’s executives shaking his finger at me about how Ohio is failing,” Kasich said. “Ford is going to invest a billion in Ohio. ... Chrysler is going to have more things to say; stay tuned.”
He added, “And General Motors, they like their plant; they’ve upgraded it. I’ve been there; I’ve met with them, and they actually put out a statement saying, ‘It’s great to see the changes that have happened in Ohio that are beneficial for our business.’”
But Szollosi and Cafaro, in a conference call with reporters Wednesday, said expansions at Ohio auto plants wouldn’t have happened without Obama and other Democrats who passed support packages for companies when Republicans were criticizing such moves.
“Without the action of the previous administration ... Gov. Strickland, or the current presidential administration ... GM Lordstown wouldn’t be open to begin with,” Cafaro said. “Regardless of the current actions that Gov. Kasich may or may not be taking, I believe that it would be moot because we wouldn’t even be having an auto industry to talk about.”
Cafaro’s district includes General Motors Co.’s Lords-town complex, which produces the Chevrolet Cruze.