The document outlines a 2010 public policy agenda for Ohio gubernatorial candidates put forth by the Columbus Chamber. It recommends strengthening economic development practices, improving Ohio's business environment, growing existing strong sectors like healthcare and logistics, strengthening downtown Columbus, making infrastructure improvements, and building a pro-growth workforce. The agenda advocates for streamlining incentives, retaining jobs, supporting regional marketing, and coordinating economic development agencies.

1. 2010 Public Policy Agenda for Gubernatorial Race-v7 (ROUGH DRAFT) 6/17/10
Introduction
While the Columbus region has navigated the current downturn with greater
success than many areas of Ohio, our business leaders and citizens recognize the
economic success of all regions in the state are interconnected. Therefore, the
region’s future development depends on the ability of the state to achieve
economic advancement. The Columbus region, and the state as a whole, must
address the financial, industrial, and cultural changes, which are taking place
around the globe, in order to remain competitive in the national and
international business environment. To that end, the Columbus Chamber
encourages the candidates for Governor of Ohio to adopt the following policies
to move Ohio citizens and businesses toward a positive economic future.
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2. 2010 Public Policy Agenda for Gubernatorial Race-v7 (ROUGH DRAFT) 6/17/10
Strengthen Economic Development Practices
The state of Ohio must improve its economic development practices. Current
development policies and tools must be modified and augmented to encourage
economic growth. The Chamber supports the following:
 Streamline the timeline for crafting economic development
incentives so that government can rapidly act to attract jobs and
investment.
 Preserve the array of robust and adaptable tools that state and local
economic development officials use to influence favorable
corporate location and expansion decisions.
 Identify existing local businesses and industries undergoing
transition. Create job retention incentives that, on a limited basis
can be offered to corporations that have been acquired or have
merged. These would be awarded particularly when the retention
of a corporate headquarters is at risk.
 Continue to support regional marketing efforts funded through the
Ohio Business Development Coalition so that every region in our
state can market its respective strengths using a framework that ties
into a statewide marketing effort.
 Ensure that government is organized in a way that facilitates
regional economic development; harmonize the regional
boundaries of all state agencies that have a role in economic
development, such as the Ohio Department of Transportation, the
Ohio Department of Development, the Ohio Department of Job
and Family Services, and the Ohio Environment Protection
Agency.
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3. 2010 Public Policy Agenda for Gubernatorial Race-v7 (ROUGH DRAFT) 6/17/10
Improve our business-friendly environment.
A receptive environment for business investment is necessary to encourage
future economic expansion. However, sympathetic policies can only go so far.
The Ohio government needs to demonstrate its devotion to existing business by
taking action:
 Abolish the state’s requirements that prevailing wage apply to
private-sector projects.
 The cost of state government needs to be realigned with the
resources that are available to fund it. Ohio’s Metro Chambers
will be recommending how the state can reconfigure the business
of government in a way that increases flexibility, holds
government leaders accountable for outcomes and reduces costs.
These recommendations should be implemented. As a part of
these increased efficiencies, the last phase of the 5-year reduction
in the state income tax should be implemented.
 Support “green” business initiatives, and encourage government at
all levels to do likewise in order to improve our environment,
decrease costs, and enhance our reputation.
 Combat the lack of venture capital by encouraging the state to be
more creative with its own assets and use them to infuse capital
into start-up and early-growth-stage companies.
 Implement Governor Strickland’s initiative to drive unnecessary
and duplicate regulation out of state government so that businesses
are better able to compete without government interference.
 Prioritize changes to the Ohio worker’s compensation insurance
system; advocate increased efficiency and competition in the
administration of insurance claims.
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4. 2010 Public Policy Agenda for Gubernatorial Race-v7 (ROUGH DRAFT) 6/17/10
Grow existing businesses and strong sectors of the economy.
Past experience shows that 3 out of 4 new jobs are created by businesses with an
existing presence in the region. This illustrates the potential value of our existing
industries. Two industries, healthcare research and technology as well as
logistics and distribution, represent existing economic growth engines for the
Columbus region. State government should encourage growth in these sectors
through the following steps:
 Invest in technology that will allow our healthcare systems to
communicate with one another and their associated physicians so
that all medical professionals treating a patient have access to the
same information. This concept, known as a Regional Health
Information Organization (RHIO), will reduce the risk of treatment
errors and cut costs by eliminating unnecessary or redundant tests
and procedures.
 Support funding for completion of ProjectONE, the Ohio State
University Medical Center expansion and development program
projected to add 10,000 jobs and $1.7 billion to the regional
economy by 2015.
 Provide funding for the nearly $1 billion of infrastructure projects
needed in the Rickenbacker area.
 Support the building of other innovative proposals that will enable
Columbus to become the national leader in logistics technology
and innovation.
 Eliminate unnecessary legal barriers in state law for leveraging
private-sector support for the construction of needed infrastructure.
 Support CSX’s plan to expand its intermodal capacity in the
Columbus region.
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5. 2010 Public Policy Agenda for Gubernatorial Race-v7 (ROUGH DRAFT) 6/17/10
Strengthen our downtown.
In addition to supporting our existing industries, the Columbus Chamber
advocates the following initiatives to spur growth and redevelopment in the
existing core of downtown Columbus:
 Fund the development of the Whittier Peninsula to the south of
downtown to compliment the work already planned for the Scioto
Mile.
 Design and fund the interchange of Interstate 70 and 71 so that it
provides ample caps to re-weave our central city communities
together.
 Ensure that state government locates its major offices in downtown
Columbus. In addition to increasing the density of downtown’s
daytime population, it makes sense to locate the state’s
management and policy-setting jobs in proximity to the center of
state government.
 Support the creation of Columbus Commons in the former
downtown location of the City Center.
 Endorse alternative transit routing through downtown Columbus to
encourage additional ridership and reduce impact on existing
traffic flow.
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6. 2010 Public Policy Agenda for Gubernatorial Race-v7 (ROUGH DRAFT) 6/17/10
Make improvements that will lead to growth.
To recapture our regional economic vitality, redevelopment efforts cannot end at
our downtown district. Government leaders must align our core renewal efforts
with plans that will nurture the growth of new and existing businesses
throughout the region. Government leaders should:
 Facilitate the assemblage of land leading to the implementation of
Ohio State’s West Campus master plan.
 Support significant infrastructure improvements, such as the I-270/
Route 33 interchange.
 Push for modifications to the regional transportation grid that will
improve supply chain operations for our region’s manufacturers,
such as Scotts and Honda.
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7. 2010 Public Policy Agenda for Gubernatorial Race-v7 (ROUGH DRAFT) 6/17/10
Build a pro-growth workforce.
Finally, for existing businesses to remain competitive, and to promote Ohio as a
viable location in which to grow a business, government must initiate improved
efforts to develop and maintain a competitive workforce. The following actions
represent a foundation to build on:
 Appoint a cabinet-level official that is accountable as the state’s
lead workforce development official. The Director of the
Department of Development is best suited to serve in this capacity.
 Redraw the boundaries for the states’ workforce investment Boards
so that they encompass and support the metro regions.
 Devote at least 30% of Workforce Investment Act funds to training
jobs and professions that are growing or are in demand
 Establish better tools and monitoring so that taxpayers know what
kinds of training are provided.
 Direct dollars toward initiatives that help keep our senior
workforce trained.
 Spend workforce funds to create internships at our region’s
businesses; as well as advocating amendments to the federal
Workforce Investment Act, when it is reauthorized, so that it
awards funding for businesses to host internships.
 Funding the University System of Ohio in a way that aligns with
the needs of our state’s regional economies. Students pursuing a
state-subsidized degree at a state college or university should be
confident that the degrees they are pursuing will be useful in the
labor markets where their school is located.
 Show that our state values diversity by enacting a law that
prohibits workplace and housing discrimination based on sexual
orientation.
 Infrastructure dollars should be spent in a way that considers the
impact on workforce subgroups, such as today’s young
professionals.
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