Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Is JobsOhio Board Self-Dealing?

Dayton Daily News:
Six of nine members of the JobsOhio board of directors have direct financial ties to companies that have received tax credits and other assistance from state government or JobsOhio since Gov. John Kasich took office in 2011, public records show.
The directors are employed by, sit on the board of or hold stock in companies that have received assistance from either the state of Ohio or JobsOhio, the newly created non-profit established by the Kasich’s administration. JobsOhio also assisted two subsidiaries of Worthington Industries, a Columbus-based company that has contributed heavily to Kasich and where he served as a director between 2001 and 2010....

The JobsOhio board includes a host of prominent names, including former Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee and Bob Evans Farms Chief Executive Steven Davis, both of whom sit on the Bob Evans board of directors.
In March 2011, shortly before JobsOhio began operations, Kasich announced an $11 million package of loans and grants for Bob Evans to move its corporate headquarters from south Columbus to New Albany, an upscale suburb 25 miles away. JobsOhio’s 2012 annual report also lists Kettle Creations, a Bob Evans subsidiary, as having received undisclosed assistance from the JobsOhio Network, or the group of regional economic development agencies that partner with JobsOhio.
Jones said Kettle Creations did not avail itself of the approved state assistance, which was offered before the company was acquired by Bob Evans.
As a Bob Evans director, Gee has been paid $156,700 in cash and stock worth $533,074 over the past three years, according to filings with the federal Securities and Exchange Commission. Davis has led Bob Evans since 2006, a job that has paid him $19 million in salary, bonus and benefits over the years, SEC records show.
You can always could on Gordon Gee to suck up money from the state government.  I've never seen a bow-tie wearing conman like that guy.

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