(Columbus) - The Ohio Republican Party released a new web ad today, exposing Gov. Ted Strickland's ignorance on his own administration's economic development efforts.
Strickland recently appeared on the WKRC Brian Thomas Morning Show to claim credit for an expansion of a GE aviation facility, but the governor struggled to answer a basic question about a tax incentive offered to the company. Strickland even had to ask the show's host to confirm some of the details about the deal.
"It's no wonder Ohio is losing major employers and hundreds of thousands of jobs under this administration," said Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine. "Ted Strickland can't even answer a basic question about what he's offering to keep jobs here. It appears he's completely out of the loop on development decisions, and all they do is drop him in to smile for the cameras and claim credit."
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For the Record
Strickland was out of the loop when reporters uncovered that his interim economic development director owed thousands of dollars in back taxes:
- The situation sends a couple of possible messages, neither of them good. One, the governor's staff keeps him out of the loop. Or, two, the governor doesn't pay attention to his own vetting process. [Mark Naymik, The Plain Dealer, 5/19/09)
Strickland was out of the loop when NCR announced it was moving its Dayton headquarters to Georgia:
- Some politicians publicly, and lot of people anonymously, have thrown verbal darts at Strickland and [Dayton Mayor Rhine] McLin for their roles in the NCR saga saying the governor and the mayor did not do enough to retain NCR. (Dayton Daily News, 6/5/09)
Strickland was out of the loop when his administration raided funds for blindness prevention to balance the budget:
- When The Dispatch opened Gov. Ted Strickland's eyes yesterday to his administration's grab of $1.4 million intended for the Save Our Sight Fund, he promised that the money would be returned. "We will certainly correct that," Strickland said. "That is not something I was aware of. I will find out why that has occurred, and it will be corrected." (Columbus Dispatch, 8/21/09)
Strickland was out of the loop that his administration was not pursuing federal grant money:
- Ohio and Utah are the only two states in the nation turning down federal money intended to prevent HIV infections in teenagers. ... Gov. Ted Strickland also was unaware the state was not pursuing the CDC grant, a spokesman said. (The Plain Dealer, 10/30/07)
Strickland was out of the loop when an administration intern lost the personal data of more than 800,000 Ohioans:
- [Ohio Inspector General Tom Charles'] report also said "a complete breakdown in the reporting chain" led to delays in key officials becoming aware of the theft. Strickland wasn't told of it until three days after it was reported to police. (The Plain Dealer, 7/21/07)
Strickland was out of the loop on policy changes in his administration:
- The Ohio Department of Public Safety plans to alter a new policy that warns employees they could face discipline, up to firing, if they release information to the news media without authorization. ... While aware of earlier drafts, the governor's office had not seen the final version of the policy until The Dispatch brought it to its attention, said Amanda Wurst, a Strickland spokeswoman. (The Columbus Dispatch, 7/3/09)
Strickland was out of the loop when members of his administration were found to be abusing his travel policy:
- Despite the administration's call for "a few limited exceptions" on travel, state workers took trips to Germany, Belgium and other countries and all over the nation, from San Francisco, Santa Monica and Portland to New York, Washington and Orlando. The trips sometimes involved stays at posh resorts or hotels, including Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort in Florida, Harrah's in Las Vegas, and the Plaza in Buenos Aires, Argentina -- sometimes at more than $300 a night. Some agencies also sent multiple employees to the same conferences and allowed workers to take multiple trips -- including trips after the governor issued a new order in April 2009 further cracking down on travel and other expenses. ... Strickland said he's not aware of any glaring abuses, especially with the overall decline in travel costs, and he argued the location of travel isn't as important as the purpose. (The Columbus Dispatch, 6/14/09)
Strickland was out of the loop on negotiations involving DHL, a major Ohio employer:
- Ohio officials were unaware that DHL has added ABX and ASTAR to the negotiating mix, said Amanda Wurst, spokeswoman for Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland. (Dayton Daily News, 3/14/09)
Strickland was out of the loop on the details surrounding former Attorney General Marc Dann's alleged misconduct in office:
- The governor said he wasn't aware of any of the legal violations leveled at [Marc] Dann at the time he and other Democrats sought Dann's removal. "I was not aware of those issues, but I was aware of actions which he knew of or approved of which were so inappropriate and lacking in professionalism that I became convinced that he had lost his ability to perform his duties," [Strickland] said. (Associated Press, 12/29/08)
Strickland was out of the loop on the background of his newly appointed attorney general:
- Although Ms. Rogers, 59, is a Democrat (a fact Governor Strickland says he was unaware of until he'd already made his choice), she comes from good Republican stock. (Toledo Blade, 6/4/08)
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