For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, January 26, 2022
CONTACT: Cameron Keir, ckeir@ohiodems.org, 614-506-5413
On Issue after Issue, Mike DeWine Stonewalls on Answers Ohioans Deserve
Columbus, OH — Following ODP’s announcement Monday that the party is prepared to file suit if Mike DeWine continues stonewalling Ohioans on answers to questions about the HB 6 bribery scandal, DeWine this week kept up his pattern of hiding from the truth and avoiding accountability by refusing to answer questions on how Ohioans’ taxpayer dollars are being spent.
Cleveland.com and the Columbus Dispatch have reported on DeWine’s refusal to answer questions about how Ohioans’ hard-earned tax dollars are being spent, once again relying on ‘no comment’ as his 2022 campaign slogan.
It’s just the latest in a long line of questions that Ohioans are waiting for answers to, including what he knew and when amid the largest public corruption scandal in state history, whether he supports legislation to make Ohioans less safe from gun violence and why his son shouldn’t recuse himself from an Ohio Supreme Court case in which the governor himself is named. DeWine is deep underwater with Ohio voters and finds himself stuck between appeasing an extreme legislature that wants to push him further to the right (rock) and knowing those moves will make him even more unpopular with Ohio voters (hard place).
“For a guy running for office, Mike DeWine seems to spend a lot of his time hiding, dodging and ducking. On issues critical to Ohio families ranging from the largest public corruption scandal in state history to gerrymandered maps to taxpayer incentives, DeWine’s refusal to answer questions shows just how out of touch he really is,” said Ohio Democratic Party spokesperson Matt Keyes.
Read more on what Mike DeWine refuses to answer here and below:
- And DeWine and other state officials refused to say Friday how much in additional tax credits and other incentives Ohio has promised Intel, although they have pointed to a state change that for “mega-projects” worth more than $1 billion, added another 15 years to the maximum length of tax credits officials can offer.
- While remaining nonspecific about the incentives, Husted described the project a good return on Ohio’s investment that will create an entire industry sector of semiconductor manufacturing and related suppliers around the state.
Columbus Dispatch
- Gov. Mike DeWine was quick to share how his wife’s version of eggs benedict helped bring the world’s largest semiconductor factory to Ohio, but the administration has remained tight lipped about how much money it promised Intel to secure the deal.
- But the governor declined to answer questions about the specific incentives Ohio offered to Intel to make the Buckeye State more attractive than 39 other states that competed for the project.
- Companies – like Intel – that invest at least $1 billion in the state now get 30 years worth of job creation tax credits instead of 15. Based on the number of employees Intel expects to hire, that could be a $660 million savings over 30 years.
- It’s also likely that JobsOhio, a nonprofit, contributed some of its cash as part of the state’s incentive package. But when asked for specifics, a spokesperson said they aren’t disclosing the details yet.