· March 19, 2013

After IO report, JobsOhio says it will return taxpayer funds

Yesterday, IO released public records revealing that Governor Kasich’s quasi-private economic development agency, JobsOhio had spent nearly $1.2 million in one year for an office and furnishings for just over 20 people. Less than 24 hours later, the agency announced today that it will give back some of the funds it received from taxpayers for its start-up efforts.

Said IO Communications Director Dale Butland: “It’s sad it took a subpoena to get Gov. Kasich and JobsOhio to come clean about how they’ve spent public money. But Innovation Ohio takes pride in blowing the whistle on the hundreds of thousands of dollars JobsOhio wasted on lavish furniture, coffee bars and other outrageous office expenses. And if our efforts played even a small role in convincing JobsOhio to refund that money to the taxpayers, it was well worth the time we took to do it.”