Article published September 20, 2003
Jobs promise lost
It's just as well that Don Jakeway is bailing out of the Regional Growth Partnership for a state development job in Michigan. He didn't do much for economic revitalization in northwest Ohio during his six-year tenure here.
And that's too bad, because Mr. Jakeway arrived in 1997 on a note of promise.
As Ohio's state development director, he had a significant role - although not the lead role - in negotiating with Chrysler to keep Jeep production in Toledo.
But as president and chief executive of the RGP, development arm of the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority, his record has been disappointing.
RGP flacks rattle off a list of projects Mr. Jakeway "facilitated," but we have found that the agency's claims of jobs created and retained to be overstated.
Jobs paying $20,000 a year replaced jobs paying $60,000. And a Blade series in 2002 revealed that 15 percent of the jobs listed by RGP as having been created or retained since 1994 were double-counted or have since disappeared. That's a mediocre record by any measurement, especially considering Mr. Jakeway's hefty $165,830 annual salary.
In addition, the agency was continually caught unaware by plant closings that marked the exodus of jobs from the region in recent years. After a string of surprise losses in late 2001, Mr. Jakeway was forced to put out an embarrassing plea to CEOs and workers for tips on troubles at area employers.
Another major failing of the RGP has been the agency's inability to put together a dynamic program to lure high tech jobs, which we believe must be the future engine for growth.
Such lost promises are all the more disappointing because Mr. Jakeway is a personable and likeable individual. We wish him well at the helm of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. and look forward to a more capable replacement at the RGP.
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