Over the past two weeks, 21 News has dug into some of the problems critics of JobsOhio see with the private agency. Those voices are united and bipartisan. 

JobsOhio came about after buying the state liquor franchise. This means money that was once in the general fund is now privatized.  

Some of those criticisms surround decisions made outside of the public eye. 

One criticism is there is no way of knowing if there's a conflict of interest when deals are made. So why have they been unable to effect any significant reforms? 

JobsOhio projects have become common all over Ohio. Groundbreakings and ribbon cuttings celebrating projects that tout new jobs, development and cash to make it all happen. 

And for those celebrating, support for JobsOhio is sometimes one of the only areas of common ground. 

“There tends to not be a lot of pushback from the legislature because most of the time the legislature is asking jobsOhio for help in their districts,” said Jay Edwards, former Ohio State Representative (R-Nelsonville). 

For instance, many Republicans support the group's privacy, comparing it to running a business. 

“A private entity that's able to move at the speed of business. And we need to not look this gift horse in the mouth. Let's accept success and keep it going,” said Brian Stewart, State Representative (R-Ashville).

But most Democrats in the legislature also support JobsOhio, in part due to many projects that JobsOhio funds being located in cities, many of which have Democratic leadership. 

If those leaders have any concerns about the agency, they are outshadowed by a desire to bring development whether JobsOhio was necessary to bring it or not. 

“I do understand the private business aspect of things when we are dealing with what's going on with JobsOhio and trying to attract new businesses. And I understand that some things need to be sensitive,” said Lauren McNally, State Representative (D-Youngstown).

And then there's a big factor in play, the Governor supports JobsOhio and he wants lawmakers to support it.

“First thing they do is they get a call from either the governor or the governor's staff. And in many ways, the discussion is, you know, you're not going to get any support in your county, your district. So, it scares all the legislators away,” said Jim Renacci, former U.S. Congressman.

JobsOhio, along with its regional partners like Lake to River for the Mahoning Valley, may be private, but they work very closely with state agencies like the Department of Development. 

The West Warren Industrial Park received millions from JobsOhio despite one of its partners, Charles George, being the chairman of the Lake to River board. But the project also received money from the Department of Development's Rural Industrial Loan program. 

By law, these loans were capped at $2.5 million, but that figure was changed to $4 million in the last state budget. West Warren was one of the first four projects to receive the new maximum amount. 

The change was not reflected on the department's website until after 21 News inquired about it months later. By that afternoon, the website had been updated. 

Why is this important? Because it underscores another element of politics, money.

During the 2022 election cycle,  George gave political donations in the thousands to Ohio politicians. This includes $10,000 to former Lt. Governor Jon Husted and more than $30,000 to Mike DeWine and members of his family.

While we have no indication that George received anything in return for those donations, Renacci said this illustrates the close relationship between politics and JobsOhio. 

“We're paying many of these people on the board a lot of money, and many of them are then contributing back and donating back to these campaigns,” said Renacci.