ONUMBA.COM – If Ohio’s new Republican Governor John Kasich and Democrats had hoped to work together to get things done, this was not a good start.
And the partisan brawl is just starting.
Ohio House Democratic leader Armond Budish (D-Beachwood) and his minority caucus have one simple word to describe Gov. Kasich’s rush to privatize a portion of the Ohio Department of Development: “reckless.”
Calling this a hugely bad idea, Budish, last week, urged Kasich to go slow on this to allow more deliberation as part of the process.
But a gung-ho, rabid, cacophonous, tough talking Kasich is moving “at the speed of business” to privatize Ohio’s job growth efforts, vowing not too long ago to “run over” anyone who is not on board.
Budish, cited as one of his reason for opposing this plan, the recent fiasco in Florida where the Republican Governor Rick Scott recently fired the president of a company he hired to privatize the Department of Development in that state.
His niggling bugaboo is the question of “accountability.”
“The Florida example should lead Governor Kasich to slow down his headlong march toward his reckless plan for Ohio,” said Budish.
“Our caucus raised good questions about accountability, conflict of interest, pay to play and open records. Between these issues not being addressed and the news out of Florida we should be carefully considering this legislation, not rushing it to a vote next week,” said Budish.
Kasich disagreed, calling the Department of Development wonky, stale and in a perpetual lull.
House Bill 1, crafted to drive his vision on this, was muscled to passage by the Ohio House today. The legislation will now go to the Ohio Senate for consideration.
The bill calls for, ‘Jobs Ohio’ to take over the job creation function of the Department of Development to be managed by a small pantheon of folks assembled from the business community. Mark Kvamme, a Silicon Valley venture capitalist was hired a couple of weeks ago to lead the effort.
Democrats are unleashing a firestorm of opposition to this.
State Rep. Alicia Reece (D-Cincinnati), who voted against HB1, said this:
Ohio House Representative Alicia Reece (D-Cincinnati)
“It is irresponsible to allocate $1 million of taxpayer money with so many questions that are still unanswered today. I don’t know of any bank in America who would allocate that kind of money without a detailed business plan.”
Rep. John E. Barnes, Jr. (D-Cleveland) agreed.
“I opposed HB 1 because it promotes a regressive public policy on business development that lacks transparency and accountability of public funds. This is another example of private sector subsidization with giveaways for the wealthy but no tangible financial assistance for small businesses and minority business firms. Ohio needs a business environment that is both transparent and effective where all economic segments can compete in a fair way. In the midst of the greatest economic downturn since the Great Depression, unemployed Ohioans in urban centers, inter-ring suburbs and rural communities should have the resources they need to revitalize their communities. They can only prosper if they are progressively integrated into an untapped regional, national and global economic strategy.”
None of this came out of the blue, though. Kasich said he was going to do this, straight up. During the recent bruising campaign for governor, at pretty much every stomp, he made it abundantly clear that he would privatize the department.
He even at times vowed to scrap the development agency altogether.
Mgbatogu is a freelance writer and editor of Onumba.com based in Columbus. He can be reached by email at: Onumbamedia@yahoo.com
