Kasich says empty space is proof of tough times for city

John Kasich, left, shakes hands with Peter Petersen of Toledo in front of the Lucas County GOP headquarters downtown. Enlarge

James Seney, left, former mayor of Sylvania, and Jon Stainbrook, right, Lucas County GOP chairman, watch John Kasich as the candidate for Ohio governor signs a hot dog bun at Packo's in the Park. Enlarge

John Kasich, the Republican candidate for governor of Ohio, stretched his Toledo-area visit out one more day Wednesday to film a campaign commercial and to meet fellow Republicans at a downtown restaurant.

Mr. Kasich, who held a "business roundtable" session in Lake Township on Tuesday, said the low ebb of the economy was made clear to him when he stepped out on the eighth floor of a downtown Toledo office building and saw nothing but vacant space.

"It was all empty, you know. The most important thing we can do here in this state is we've got to create a business-friendly environment so we can get some jobs," he said.

He said he was in the building to make a campaign commercial, during the course of which he met a single mother with two children who doesn't have a job.

"We gotta get that woman a job. We've got to help her out," Mr. Kasich said.

About 50 people, including local Republicans running for office and party Chairman Jon Stainbrook, welcomed Mr. Kasich outside the party's headquarters on South Superior Street. Afterward, some went across the street to Packo's at the Park for lunch.

Mr. Kasich related the empty office space to a comment made at a June news conference by Toledo Mayor Mike Bell, who is supporting Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland for re-election.

"I understand you have a very fine mayor here in Toledo, good guy, independent and all that, but he's been saying he doesn't like my program because I want to cut taxes. Well, how are we going to get anybody to come in here if we're one of the highest-taxed states in the country?" Mr. Kasich asked.

At his news event in June, Mr. Bell said he was opposed to eliminating the state income tax as Mr. Kasich has proposed because Toledo depends on the local government share for at least $18 million of its annual budget.

Mr. Kasich has said he supports phasing out the income tax as a goal, but has set no timeline for eliminating the state's single largest source of tax revenue.

The Kasich campaign cites a study by the Tax Foundation ranking Ohio's combination of state and local taxes as seventh in the nation. Another Tax Foundation study ranks Ohio 47th for its "business tax climate."

But the Strickland campaign says that's a false picture, and says the Tax Foundation's methodology is unreliable.

The campaign distributed a column by state Tax Commissioner Richard Levin on the progressohio.org Web site saying that under Mr. Strickland and his predecessor, Republican Gov. Bob Taft, Ohio has reduced income tax rates and personal property taxes on business equipment and machinery.

"Ohio is not the high-tax state some people want to make it out to be," Mr. Levin wrote in the Feb. 17 column.

One of those greeting Mr. Kasich at the Toledo GOP headquarters was James Seney, former mayor of Sylvania, who was executive director of the Ohio Rail Development Commission.

A Republican, Mr. Seney said he likes Mr. Kasich but tried to encourage him to support passenger-train development. Mr. Kasich said the state should reallocate the $400 million in stimulus funding it got to develop a high-speed passenger rail line from Cincinnati to Cleveland to highway construction.

"I asked him to keep an open mind on passenger rail," Mr. Seney said. "He said he would keep an open mind on any issue that would improve the movement of freight in Ohio."

Mr. Seney contends that passenger rail can be developed in a manner that improves the freight system.

Mr. Kasich expressed support of Mr. Stainbrook, who recently fought off an attempted coup within his party to win re-election for a second term.

"He hosted a Lincoln Day Dinner for me about a year ago and it went from three people in a phone booth to [where] we couldn't get anyone else in the room," Mr. Kasich said. "And he has been very helpful. And his interest is my interest, which is your interest."

Mr. Kasich was the keynote speaker at the July 30, 2009, Republican fund-raising dinner in Toledo.

Contact Tom Troy at:

tomtroy@theblade.com

or 419-724-6058.