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Wehrman: Unity hard to find in NCR blame game

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By Jessica Wehrman, Staff Writer Updated 3:55 AM Monday, June 8, 2009

WASHINGTON — When DHL started threatening to pull out of the Wilmington area last year, Ohio congressional lawmakers immediately pulled together in an impressive fashion, all but singing “Kumbaya” in an effort to convince the company to stick around.

Their reaction to NCR has been far from that united front.

No sooner did the news leak that NCR was pulling out of Dayton, then the focus became who to blame.

Other than the company itself — Democrats and Republicans alike depicted a relationship with the company’s CEO that was strained at best — the most obvious targets were Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin and Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, two Democrats whom political foes accused of not doing enough to keep NCR in Dayton. Both defended themselves, saying it’s hard to cut deals with companies that don’t want to talk to you.

Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher, a candidate for U.S. Senate in 2010, was bashed for rescheduling a meeting with NCR. But he did so because he had another crisis to contend with: a meeting regarding PNC acquiring National City Bank, another company with huge economic implications in the state. By both Republican and Democrat’s accounts, the rescheduled meeting with NCR was a disaster, and the state was caught off guard by NCR’s decision.

Obviously Strickland and Fisher weren’t the only ones caught off guard by NCR’s decision to bail on the Buckeye State. A quick tally of Ohio lawmakers found that no one in the region’s congressional delegation appeared aware that NCR planned to pull out until late last week. By that time, the die was cast, and there was little to be done. Georgia economic development officials by then had been putting together a meticulous package for months.

Certainly, the blame game is relevant if NCR’S decision is indicative of a larger problem the Dayton region has with retaining good employers. But the immediate focus should be on what to do to help the city and regional economy recover from this blow, as well as whether there are other companies whose presence here is vulnerable.

On the state end, Ohio Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, has been the only one to come up with a suggestion — to use the $31 million in tax credits aimed at keeping NCR in Dayton to help the region’s economy recover.

The feds have been far quieter in their response.

U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, in the case of DHL, called for a coordination of federal efforts similar to what occurs when a military base closes. He called for something similar here, but it’s unclear how that will work.

Contrast that with the reaction to Wilmington. A delegation of Ohio lawmakers, Republican and Democrat alike, with some members from as far away as Youngstown, gathered one day on Capitol Hill to brainstorm what to do. They teamed up as well on letters and other efforts.

It didn’t stop DHL from leaving, and at this point nothing could be done to keep NCR here, but where is that unity now?

Perhaps a round of “Kumbaya” is in order.

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