Governor Mike DeWine and the Board of Directors of JobsOhio announced February 14 that J.P. Nauseef has been selected as the next president and chief investment officer of JobsOhio. Mr. Nauseef will start the new role in March and replace John Minor, who had served since 2012. Mr. Nauseef is a former U.S. Air Force officer with experience in the public, private, and non-profit sectors and most notably was the president and CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition. More information is at: https://governor.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/governor/media/news-and-media/021419a

Goodbye Governor Kasich, Hello New Administration:

New Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted were sworn in to office shortly after midnight on Monday, January 14. Ceremonial swearing-in events occurred at Noon at the Statehouse, and the inaugural ball occurred there the evening of January 14.

Ceremonies and receptions for others elected to statewide office (Attorney General Dave Yost, Secretary of State Frank LaRose, State Auditor Keith Faber and State Treasurer Robert Sprague) also occurred January 14.

Federal Opportunity Zones: President Trump signed an Executive Order December 12 directing federal agencies to prioritize resources for opportunity zones. The order will create a White House Opportunity and Revitalization Council, covering 13 federal agencies and led by Ben Carson, the Housing and Urban Development secretary. The council will work to prioritize opportunity zones in a variety of federal efforts, including grant funding, loan guarantees, infrastructure spending and crime prevention. The 13 federal agencies included in the new council have apparently provided examples of potential actions they could take to support investment in opportunity zones. Projects could include the Agriculture Department targeting water infrastructure and rural broadband spending in certain zones, or the Small Business Administration focusing certain loan programs in designated tracts. The Justice Department could also shepherd spending on anti-crime efforts — such as mentoring and gang-prevention initiatives — to the zones. The Administration apparently also intends to finish two more rounds of regulations that will govern the zones and the funds that invest in them.

Role for the Lieutenant Governor? A bill passed by the General Assembly this week and sent to the Governor for signature hinted at a role to possibly be filled by Lieutenant Governor-elect Jon Husted. Senate Bill 296, originally drafted to increase law enforcement survivor benefits was amended to include a compromise pay raise omnibus amendment affecting state and local elected officials. An additional amendment apparently requested by the Governor-elect’s transition team would create an office within the Governor’s Office called “InnovateOhio” (see https://www.mikedewine.com/innovationohio/) and would allow the Lieutenant Governor, if appointed to head such an office, to receive the salary for that office rather than the lieutenant governor’s statutory pay.

Ohio Election Results:

Voter turnout for the November General Election in Ohio was quite high. According to the Secretary of State’s office, of the state’s 8,070,917 registered voters, 54.3 percent voted.

In Federal races, U.S. Senate Democratic incumbent Senator Sherrod Brown defeated Congressman Jim Renacci (R-Wadsworth) with a 53.19 to 46.81 percent advantage. In U.S. House of Representatives races, the Ohio Congressional delegation political breakdown remained the same in all 16 seats. Ohio U.S. Representatives Marcia Fudge (D), Marcy Kaptur (D), Troy Balderson (R), Mike Turner (R), David Joyce (R), Tim Ryan (D) and Steve Stivers (R) all won re-election. Steve Chabot (R), Brad Wenstrup (R), Joyce Beatty (D), Jim Jordan (R), Bob Latta (R), Bill Johnson (R), Bob Gibbs (R) and Warren Davidson (R) were also successful. Likewise, former Ohio State University football player and first-time candidate for elected office, Anthony Gonzales (R), won election by 56.84 percent of the vote.