|
 |
Business Privacy Rights threatened
Auditor Dave Yost
demanding access to JobsOhio nonpublic dollars
From Rob Nichols, Press Secretary, Gov. John Kasich:
"JobsOhio is working. After losing 400,000 jobs Ohio is now up more
than 116,000 jobs and the $9 billion in new investment that JobsOhio
has helped attract is part of that success. JobsOhio is indeed moving
at the speed of business.
“The Auditor’s attempt to re-write the law to make JobsOhio a slow,
bureaucratic public body again will kill JobsOhio and its job creation
efforts. And if companies that accept economic development
incentives fear that government auditors will seize and disclose their
confidential business records, then that will kill job growth in the
state of Ohio.
“We support public review of JobsOhio’s public funds and the release of
its private-funds audit report, but the General Assembly must act
quickly to prevent a chilling effect on job creation caused by a
mistaken, overly-intrusive interpretation of the Auditor’s duties. If
the General Assembly takes another course we would, of course, respect
their decision, however, the House and Senate leaders have already made
clear their positions and we're hopeful for a quick legislative
resolution. We must allow JobsOhio to continue helping job creators
grow and thrive, and allow job creators to operate without fear of
government officials forcing them to disclose their confidential
business information.”
From Gov. Kasich's Office: "If an Ohio business can no longer be
certain of guarding its privacy from the prying eyes of Big Government,
they’ll soon find some other state in which to do business, expand and
hire.”
Cincinnati Enquirer
March 19, 2013
JobsOhio:
Business' privacy rights threatened
Some old controversies never die. Especially when there’s politics
involved. And, sadly, even when jobs and economic prosperity for Ohio’s
families are caught in the crossfire.
When JobsOhio was being established in 2011 as a private, nonprofit
corporation to lead economic growth and job creation for our state,
there was vigorous public debate about how to strike a proper balance
between meeting Ohio’s urgent need for robust economic development and
preserving a level of transparency we all have a right to demand.
Legislators found that balance and enacted the necessary safeguards
into the law that brought JobsOhio to life. Now that we are entering
political season, this controversy is being thrust once again onto the
public stage.
Auditor of State Dave Yost – who has the unquestioned right to examine
JobsOhio’s expenditure of its public dollars – is demanding
unprecedented access to its nonpublic dollars as well.
That’s not sitting well with legislative leaders who passed that law.
But should you or anyone else outside the Columbus inner-circle really
care? Aren’t we all pledged to sunshine, transparency and openness?
Should we be concerned about the undisciplined way the auditor wields
his power? For me, the answer to all of the above is clear: Yes! Yes!
And yes!
Transparency with the expenditure of public money is fundamental to our
democracy. But so, too, is the right of private individuals, private
corporations and private nonprofits to keep their business just that –
private – whenever public dollars are not involved. If an Ohio business
can no longer be certain of guarding its privacy from the prying eyes
of Big Government, they’ll soon find some other state in which to do
business, expand and hire.
Read the rest of the story at the Cincinnati Enquirer
|
|
|
|
