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Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Leftwich to step down as development director; will serve as Kasich adviser
James Leftwich, former director of the Dayton Development Coalition, will step down Aug. 1 as director of the Ohio Department of Development and become an informal economic development adviser to Gov. John Kasich, Leftwich and a top aide to the governor announced Tuesday.
Chris Schmenk, currently general counsel in the state development department, will take over as director of the department as the state’s job creation efforts are transitioned to JobsOhio, the private, not-for-profit corporation whose board of directors held its first meeting Tuesday.
Leftwich, 46, whose state salary is $127,400 a year, said he plans to return to the private sector but declined to provide specific plans while still working for the state. He said that he anticipated that his tenure as director would be short when he took over in March.
Kasich tapped him for the director’s job after Democrats raised questions about the constitutionality of having Mark Kvamme, Kasich’s top jobs’ adviser, in the director’s job because Kvamme was not an Ohio resident.
“I came into this with my eyes open,” said Leftwich, who commuted to Columbus from the Dayton area and plans to continue living in the Dayton area.
Scott Milburn, Kasich’s spokesman, said Leftwich not only ran the department but helped “crystallize the vision for JobsOhio,” which is a statewide version of the Dayton Development Coalition.
Kasich is “personally, immensely grateful” to Leftwich for his service, said Milburn.
Milburn said the Kasich administration did not expect to get Leftwich as director for as long as he is to serve.
“We kind of milked everything we could,” said Milburn.
Going forward, Leftwich will be particularly important in advising Kasich on aerospace economic development opportunities, said Milburn.
“I’m very much vested in the success here of JobsOhio,” said Leftwich. He said he has offered to continue in an adviser’s role with JobsOhio, particularly in the aerospace area.
Kasich on Monday announced the appointment of eight members to the JobsOhio board of directors, with a ninth appointment to be made later. No appointees were from the Dayton area.
Leftwich said, however, that the Dayton area would be well served by JobsOhio.
“I think the whole state is going to be well served by JobsOhio,” Leftwich said.
Milburn said that Schmenk is the natural person to take over as director as the transition is made to JobsOhio, with the development department no longer playing the out front role in job development efforts.
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TweetBill banning post-viability abortions headed for final passage
COLUMBUS - A ban on most post-viability abortions in Ohio could be headed to Gov. John Kasich for his signature by the end of today.
The House and Senate have passed separate versions of legislation to prohibit abortions after 20 weeks gestation except in medical emergencies or when a physician has determined that the unborn child cannot live outside of the womb.
The Senate today is expected to vote the House version out of committee and then bring it to the floor for a vote, said John McClelland, spokesman for Senate Republicans.
The House and Senate are scheduled to return today for a one-day session. Sen. Peggy Lehner, R-Kettering, was sponsor of the House version. Kasich’s approval appears likely.
“The governor has been pro-life. He’s been pro-life throughout his career,” said Rob Nichols, Kasich’s spokesman.
The legislation is separate from the “Heartbeat” bill that has passed the House, but hasn’t been taken up by the Senate. It would ban abortions after a heartbeat has been detected, which one physician supporting the bill said could occur as early as five weeks.
Mike Gonidakis, executive director of the Ohio Right to Life Society, said that the post-viability ban was written to be consistent with federal court guidelines on restricting abortions. It is part of a national effort to limit “abortion on demand,” Gonidakis said Tuesday.
“Tomorrow is going to be a wonderful day,” he added.
However, Kellie Copeland, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio, criticized the bill, saying that, among other things, it lacked an exception to permit abortions intended to protect the mental health of the mother.
“Ohio is fast becoming the most dangerous state for pregnant women,” Copeland said.
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