Democratic candidate for Ohio Governor, Ed Fitzgerald, is calling for an investigation of Republican Gov. John Kasich's pet project, JobsOhio.
BusinessFirst:
A report questioning the financial ties of some JobsOhio directors has prompted Ohio gubernatorial candidate Ed FitzGerald to call for an investigation by the Ohio Ethics Commission, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
The Dayton Daily News last week reported that six of the nine board members at the state's privatized economic-development agency had ties to businesses that had benefitted from tax incentive deals and other state financial aid. Although a JobsOhio spokeswoman said the deals predated the board members' service, FitzGerald said the issue warranted further investigation to see if "the process is being abused," the Plain Dealer reported....
...."(Kasich) has got to, as best as he can, dispel this cloud now hovering over JobsOhio," FitzGerald said in a teleconference, the Plain Dealer reported. "First of all, Gov. Kasich and the board need to self-disclose any other conflicts out there. They need to do a full and complete disclosure."
Ohio tax payers need answers to questions, such as....
• How is it that corporate people that serve on the board of JobsOhio got money from the program?
• If the development and tax incentives were given out before the beginning of JobsOhio, show the public the paperwork.
• If the Kasich administration and JobsOhio has nothing to hide, why are they afraid to share how they are spending our tax money?
• How are jobs created under JobsOhio being counted? If Timber Tech laid off 58 people, but relocates to another city and hires 85 people, does the number of new jobs created equal 27 (85 jobs in Wilmington - 58 laid off in Columbus = 27)?
• How are tax incentives awarded to companies? Are the winning corporations tied to a list of campaign contributors, friends, or country club buddies?
• Are companies that have union employees also being given fair access to grant money and tax incentives from JobsOhio?
Ohioans want to know how our tax money is being spent. Open up the books.
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>>>> Gov. John Kasich is saying Ohio had a surplus????? Really? When cuts went to every city, county, school, and services in Ohio, of course he created a surplus. How else can you explain the thousands of police, fire fighters, teachers, and service workers losing their jobs across the state?