Kasich donors among those in line for job creation tax credits
Henry J. Gomez
The Cleveland Plain Dealer
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Two of the most generous financial
contributors to Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s presidential bid are in line to score
state tax breaks for their companies – incentives proposed by JobsOhio, a
privatized development agency that Kasich created.
The Ohio Tax Credit Authority, following the agency’s
recommendations this week, approved up to nearly $1 million worth of assistance
for CC Kitchens LLC and Worthington Steel Co.
CC Kitchens is among the many business interests of
Cincinnati Reds owner Robert Castellini.
·
Castellini family members and associates
have spent more than $100,000 to help Kasich win the Republican nomination,
according to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission.
· Worthington Steel is a subsidiary of
Worthington Industries, where Kasich once served on the board of directors.
Columbus Blue Jackets owner John McConnell, the company’s
chairman and chief executive, has invested more than $500,000 in Kasich’s
run for the White House.
The tax breaks, offered through the state’s Job Creation Tax
Credit program, amount to modest savings and are contingent on the companies
maintaining a certain number of jobs over time. State officials emphasize
above-board oversight and strongly deny any suggestions of favoritism.
But the credits come as Kasich, locked in a long-shot fight for the
Republican nomination, emphasizes his past opposition to corporate welfare and
laments the influence of big money in politics.
“There should be no sort of deals because you know
somebody,” Kasich told a small group of blue-collar factory workers while
campaigning last summer in New Hampshire. “The fact that my father was a mailman
and everybody I grew up with were people like us here – why would I want to
give a deal to somebody else if you didn’t get a deal? That’s important.”
Now you know.
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