Ohio’s private job-creation office says it ranks well

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - A consulting firm says in a study that Ohio’s privatized economic development office ranks well in comparison with similar groups.

The Columbus Dispatch reports a review commissioned and funded by JobsOhio examined its record of creating jobs, attracting projects and sharing information.

Independent management consulting company McKinsey & Co. compared JobsOhio to economic development groups in six other Midwest states and 11 other states.

The review ranked JobsOhio fifth for the number of deals cut from 2013 to 2018 and third in jobs resulting from those deals.

Republican Gov. John Kasich (KAY’-sik) faced criticism when he created JobsOhio in 2011. Funded by profits from liquor sales, JobsOhio operates outside most public records and ethics laws and its books are closed to Ohio’s auditor.

The report said JobsOhio ranks favorably among comparable states on transparency.

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This story has been corrected to show that JobsOhio is an economic development office, not a job-creation office; that it’s funded by profits from liquor sales, not funded by state liquor taxes; and that the study was done by a consulting firm, not JobsOhio.