Following a recent scandal, bills would require an annual performance audit of JobsOhio

​An Ohio state senator introduced a bill to require JobsOhio to undergo an annual performance audit after it was discovered that the organization paid $60,000 for a podcast linked to Ohio State University President Ted Carter’s resignation.

JobsOhio is supposed to use Ohio’s liquor profits to attract employers to the Buckeye State, but the organization has yet to prove — at least to its critics — it has created jobs in the state since its founding in 2011.

State Sen. Sandra O’Brien, R-Rome Twp., told The Columbus Dispatch that she wants to force JobsOhio to undergo an annual performance audit and introduced Senate Bill 420 on April 9. According to her, the proposed changes are still in the early stages of the legislative process.

“Hiding public funds from the taxpayer’s view always ends badly,” O’Brien, who told the news source that she previously worked as a county auditor, said, adding that she wasn’t sure how her colleagues in both the state House and Senate felt about her proposed changes.

The bill was referred to the Senate Finance Committee.

“Sometimes they’re a little reluctant,” she told the Columbus newspaper about her fellow lawmakers, adding that their opinions could change after the bill moves through committee. “It’s just part of making the bologna.”

The Columbus newspaper reported that more Columbus politicians are now questioning how JobsOhio spends state liquor profits after it was discovered that the organization spent $60,000 on a podcast hosted by Krisanthe Vlachos, a woman with whom Carter had an “inappropriate relationship.”

Even former Gov. John Kasich, during whose administration JobsOhio was created, criticized the organization by accusing it of “mission creep,” according to the news source.

“With the scandal at Ohio State, those records need to be public. What else do we not know about?” O’Brien told The Columbus Dispatch.

The news source added that JobsOhio is currently seeking to recover that money.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who has long criticized JobsOhio, called for greater transparency in a recent editorial in The Columbus Dispatch.

“As evidenced by the recent scandal, an absence of transparency incentivizes mischief,” Yost and Robert Alt, president and CEO of The Buckeye Institute, wrote. “JobsOhio’s spending, results, successes, and failures should be audited and measured regularly, reliably, transparently, independently, and publicly for the benefit of all Ohioans.”

In addition to Senate Bill 420, state Reps. Tristan W. Rader, D-Lakewood, and Justin Pizzulli, R-Scioto County, introduced House Bill 779 to require greater transparency from JobsOhio.

JobsOhio spokesman Matt Englehart refused to respond to the recently introduced bills, telling The Dispatch that the organization “has been committed to clearly and consistently reporting business metrics and financial information since its inception in 2011” and swiftly disclosed “JobsOhio’s interactions with entities associated with former Ohio State President Ted Carter” to the government.

“JobsOhio remains committed to sharing as much information as possible with the public and policymakers, while maintaining Ohio’s competitive advantage when seeking to attract economic development investments to Ohio,” Englehart told Statehouse News Bureau in an email.