Gov. John Kasich said Thursday his new private economic development panel will help keep jobs in Ohio at a time when companies have contacted him about leaving the state.
Kasich said his interim state development director, Mark Kvamme, was notified of three plant closures on his first day on the job. And companies approach the administration daily to say other states are trying to get them to move, he said.
"Ohio is under a siege," Kasich said. "It's become very clear to me that we are in trouble in terms of being able to stabilize the economy of this state and _ let alone to think about how we can go outside of the state and start bringing people in."
A story from the AP says, Kasich's comments came as he revealed new details of his plans to replace the Ohio Department of Development with a nine-member, nonprofit board of business leaders appointed by the governor.
A private panel of executives, industry experts and entrepreneurs is better equipped to create jobs than a bureaucratic government agency, Kasich has argued.
"The department in many ways has lost its focus," the Republican governor said at a news conference at Tarrier Steel Co. near downtown Columbus. "And as a result of having too many things stuffed into that department, it clearly hasn't been as effective or as efficient as we would like."
More than 400 people work at the state Department of Development. The governor has said not all would lose their jobs _ though he acknowledges some could. The employees could apply for JobsOhio positions; others would be relocated to other state agencies.
The board, called JobsOhio, would have four public meetings a year but could have closed-doors talks about its negotiations with businesses, Kasich said. "You don't want to be negotiating out in the public."
Click here to read more of this story from the AP.
