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Working to Create
Jobs in the 21st Century
By State Representative Jim Buchy
On Monday, January 10, Jim Zehringer was sworn in as Director of
Agriculture for the State of Ohio, which meant that his seat as state
representative of the 77th House District was vacated. Jim served
the district admirably for several years and he is going to be a great
Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Jim’s work on the
Grand Lake issues exemplified his ability to be a leader and he will
take his passion for this issue to his position as a cabinet
member. He has taken great steps to work for solutions Grand Lake
and has left big shoes to fill.
On January 11, 2011 I was sworn in as State Representative to fill
Representative Zehringer’s unexpired term. It is my honor and
privilege to receive this appointment, and you have my pledge to work
hard for better government in Ohio. There are many big issues
facing the General Assembly and our new governor—John Kasich—over the
next few years. I hit the ground running and have been busy
tackling the issues that matter to you.
Recently, the Ohio House of Representatives voted to pass Am. Sub.
House Bill 1, which creates a non-profit economic development
organization called JobsOhio. This bill exemplifies the reasons
why I was eager to come back to Columbus. Since I first started
in the Ohio House in 1983, billions of dollars have been allocated to
the Ohio Department of Development, but in recent years it has become
clear that the money feeding the bureaucracy is not equating to jobs.
Companies have been complaining that the Ohio Department of Development
is not as responsive as its counterparts in other states, and the
department has become burdened by countless programs unrelated to
economic growth. Currently, only 60 of the agency’s 400 employees
are directly engaged in economic development.
According to House Bill 1, the lean and efficient JobsOhio does not
abolish the Department of Development or any existing programs in the
department; instead, it will call for a thorough review of the duties
of the department and make recommendations to improve its efficiency.
Compared with the more than $1 billion Department of Development
bureaucracy, JobsOhio will be a nine-member board that consists of
business leaders and people who understand how to create jobs in the
21st century economy. These men and women will work with a
budget of $1 million that was allocated from existing funds within the
department. I voted for this bill which passed with bi-partisan
support receiving 59 votes in favor and 37 opposed. The bill was
sent to the Senate for further review.
You have a right to know what I am doing. I work for you and will
keep in touch with you through columns such as this one. We have
a steep hill to climb in Ohio but we can get where we need to be.
One of the largest tasks facing us this year will be balancing the
budget which currently has an 8 billion dollar gap. We will
balance this budget without raising taxes by making cuts where needed
and asking government to run more efficiently. You will be
appraised of the progress as it unfolds. Feel free to contact my
office by emailing district77@ohr.state.oh.us or calling (614)
446-6344.
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