Governor shows he has a flair for salesmanship

Jobs and Ohio"s troubled economy were the top issues of the 2010 gubernatorial race, and Gov. John Kasich vowed to make them top priority.

Kasich pledged to emulate a previous Republican governor.

"As governor it's going to be my job to be like Jim Rhodes was and that is to chase around this country and chase around the world, if necessary, to convince people that Ohio is a place to locate their businesses."

Kasich hit the ground running when he took office in January. In early February we rated his performance on this promise as In the Works on the Kasich-O-Meter.

By then he"d already reached out to American Greetings in Northeast Ohio, a company that he said was considering leaving the state and taking hundreds of Northeast Ohio jobs with it. He"d also paid visits to Wright Patterson near Dayton, General Electric in Cincinnati, Kenworth in Chillicothe, the General Motors plant in Lordstown and several small businesses.
   
He also had met with the Big 3 automakers in Detroit to be sure they were happy with their plants here and to gauge their interest in bringing more work to Ohio.
   
And to all he delivered his signature message: "Ohio is open for business."
   
He"s repeated that mantra countless times in appearances on national television news shows.

In July, for example, he touted the state in an appearance on NBC"s "Meet the Press,”
telling host David Gregory: "Ohio was dying, and we are beginning to really become business-friendly. ... In Ohio, because we faced our $8 billion budget deficit and provide tax relief, what's happened? CNBC says we've jumped 11 points, 11 places in terms of business-friendly."   

His comment was a reference to the state"s improved performance in CNBC's annual rating of "America's top states for business," which the business channel released in June.

Kasich returned on Aug. 23 from another trip to Detroit after meeting again with executives from Chrysler, Ford and General Motors.  

Chrysler announced it would invest $72 million in its Perrysburg Township machining plant near Toledo, retaining 640 jobs -- a commitment it made with cooperation from the state on an incentives package.

The governor also expressed optimism about a possible expansion of Chrysler"s Jeep operation in Toledo, which could result in a $365 million investment and 1,100 new jobs.

And after meeting with the governor, a General Motors executive told The Columbus Dispatch that in its view Ohio"s business climate had improved.

"We"re very encouraged by the changes we see happening in Ohio,” Bryan Roosa, GM"s executive director for state government relations, wrote in an email. "The attitude toward manufacturers is very supportive, and it"s helping create a very strong environment for business. We"re very pleased with our relationship with Ohio and like what"s happening there for GM.”

The governor has shown a flair for salesmanship. Based on his performance, we move the Kasich-O- Meter for this promise to Promise Kept.