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2018 was a big election year in Ohio. Republicans held onto all five statewide executive offices including governor and super majorities in both the Ohio House and Senate. But there were a few bright spots for Democrats, among them the reelection of U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown and the election of two Democrats to the Ohio Supreme Court.With election 2018 over, the focus now shifts to governing. Stay connected with the latest on politics, policies and people making the decisions at all levels affecting your lives.

Ohio Governor Candidate DeWine Unveils Plans for Workforce Development and Investments

photo of Mike DeWine
KAREN KASLER
/
STATEHOUSE NEWS BUREAU
Mike Dewine (at podium), Republican candidate for Ohio governor, says his workforce development plan includes a phone application, opportunity zones, changes to intellectual property laws and halting regulations.

The Republican candidate for governor has rolled out a workforce development and economic investment plan that he described as cutting edge, focusing on public-private partnerships but also shutting down what he said are regulations that hurt businesses.

Mike DeWine said his “prosperity plan” has several components:

  • Establish regional job training partnerships
  • Push for more federal block grants for job training
  • Create an app to match employers and potential workers
  • Set up "opportunity zones" in economically distressed communities
  • Change the law so researchers working at Ohio’s universities can keep their intellectual property
  • Halt regulations that hurt business and job growth.

“We’re reinventing job training. We’re incentivizing new innovators. And we’re getting rid of needless government regulations,” he said.

Democratic opponent Richard Cordray also rolled out a workforce development agenda, which he said focuses more on putting workers first.

Karen is a lifelong Ohioan who has served as news director at WCBE-FM, assignment editor/overnight anchor at WBNS-TV, and afternoon drive anchor/assignment editor in WTAM-AM in Cleveland. In addition to her daily reporting for Ohio’s public radio stations, she’s reported for NPR, the BBC, ABC Radio News and other news outlets. She hosts and produces the Statehouse News Bureau’s weekly TV show “The State of Ohio”, which airs on PBS stations statewide. She’s also a frequent guest on WOSU TV’s “Columbus on the Record”, a regular panelist on “The Sound of Ideas” on ideastream in Cleveland, appeared on the inaugural edition of “Face the State” on WBNS-TV and occasionally reports for “PBS Newshour”. She’s often called to moderate debates, including the Columbus Metropolitan Club’s Issue 3/legal marijuana debate and its pre-primary mayoral debate, and the City Club of Cleveland’s US Senate debate in 2012.