Kasich, top Reps, get tough!

From the Columbus Dispatch…

Kasich lays down the law to lobbyists

Governor-elect says he wants to push reforms in state as well as cuts

Friday, November 5, 2010  02:52 AM

By Mark Niquette and Jim Siegel

With a budget crisis looming next year, Republican Gov.-elect John Kasich had a blunt message yesterday for lobbyists and others connected with state government: Get on his bus, or get run over.

"I just want Ohio to be great; this is our chance," Kasich said during a luncheon at Brio Tuscan Grille at Polaris. "Please leave the cynicism and the political maneuvering at the door. Because we need you on the bus, and if you're not on the bus, we will run over you with the bus. And I'm not kidding."

Kasich told the lobbyists, representatives of special-interest groups and "Statehouse regulars" invited to the $28-a-person luncheon that he welcomes their input, but he defeated Gov. Ted Strickland and the Democrats in a bruising campaign and won't accept the status quo.

"For those who are sitting in this room that think, 'We've heard this before,' I had 12 visits by a president, somewhere between

$45 (million) and $50 million (spent against him), 500 paid volunteers in here calling me every name in the book, former presidents, first ladies and God-knows-who-else, and we beat all of them," Kasich said. "And if you think you're going to stop us, you're crazy. You will not stop us. We will beat you. And that's not arrogance."

The comments underscored Kasich's contention that the state needs major changes as it faces a potential $8 billion shortfall in the next two-year budget, which he must introduce by March 15. He has promised to balance it without raising taxes.

Kasich and Lt. Gov.-elect Mary Taylor, who also attended the luncheon, didn't offer specifics but said their budget plan will focus not just on slashing spending but also on reforms, some of which "will be uncomfortable for people."

"Being in government is not just about cutting," Kasich said. "It's about providing a better product ... We want your help in designing a better product."

Added Taylor: "We can't do the 'Don't cut me, cut somebody else' because it doesn't work, and it's not going to work anymore."

Meanwhile, at a Downtown Impact Ohio conference attended by 750 lobbyists and policymakers, Sen. Tom Niehaus, who is expected to be the next Senate president, called the budget woes an opportunity to "fundamentally change the way state government operates."

"It's time to re-evaluate the services state government provides and to have a serious debate about the role of state government in individuals' lives."

The New Richmond Republican added: "There cannot be more sacred cows. There cannot be more spin. We can no longer kick the can down the road."

An $8 billion shortfall equals about 16 percent of the state's current general-revenue fund spending. More than 85 percent of the state budget is spent on Medicaid, K-12 education, higher education, prisons, local governments and property-tax relief.

Rep. Ron Amstutz, R-Wooster, the expected House Finance Committee chairman next year, said lawmakers will need a wide range of options.

"There are not going to be two or three big things that balance the budget. That would probably be devastating to some of the services that our state delivers," Amstutz said. "It will be a larger-than-usual package of actions that we take."

Sen. John A. Carey Jr., R-Wellston, the current Senate Finance Committee chairman who joins the House next year, said some local school leaders are preparing for cuts of 10 to 15 percent.

"Some things that people didn't think about being cut in the past will be cut this time," he said. "There are lots of people coming in who were elected on this wave of excessive government spending."

Kasich later went to Brooklyn, a Cleveland suburb, to talk with officials at American Greetings, which reportedly is considering moving its headquarters and 2,000 employees. The company issued a statement saying it briefed Kasich on its ongoing review of its world headquarters location and that "we look forward to working with him and his administration."