JPMorgan Chase Adds 1150 Jobs in Columbus. Blogosphere: Crickets.

You wouldn't know it by reading any of Ohio's progressive blogs last week, but JPMorgan Chase, the largest private employer in metro Columbus, announced it is consolidating its customer service operations in facilities in Columbus and Westerville, creating 1,200 jobs. From the presser:

Leaders from the Ohio Governor Ted Strickland's Office and Departments of Development from Ohio and the cities of Columbus and Westerville worked with Chase to provide generous incentives to attract the new jobs to central Ohio.

"We could not be happier to announce that this important project with JPMorgan Chase will bring 1,150 jobs to Columbus as well as retain positions that are already here," Gov. Strickland said. "The company's decision to stay in Columbus and strengthen an already world-renowned presence here is a tremendous boost to our economy and very welcome news for Ohio."

Lt. Governor Lee Fisher and Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman were among a delegation of public officials that began discussing this opportunity with Chase leaders more than six months ago.

"This project was a dedicated public-private partnership among the State of Ohio, the City of Columbus, and the company at a very pivotal time for our economy," Lt. Gov. Fisher added. "We know that companies have more choices now than ever before, and JP Morgan Chase's commitment to Ohio reinforces their celebrated reputation as being one of our very best success stories."

Columbus Mayor Coleman said, "We are gratified that Chase wants to continue to make Columbus its home and grow its operations here. We will keep fighting for every job as we continue to make Columbus an economically competitive city."

Why didn't Ohio's progressive blogs trumpet this latest accomplishment by Gov. Ted Strickland and Lt. Gov Lee Fisher? I honestly have no idea. Modern of course didn't mention Chase's job creation when taking a swipe at Fisher because of NCR's move to Atlanta, but as for the rest of the 'sphere? Who knows.

UPDATE: Corrected Title to cite proper number of jobs created.

PD: Fisher, Haseley Knew of Barbash's Tax Problems

Mark Naymik of the Plain Dealer is reporting the following this morning :

Strickland's administration also delivered a negative communication last week. That's when it acknowledged that the nobody told the governor that state's top development officer, Mark Barbash, had tax troubles before his promotion in February to the Cabinet-level post.

Barbash resigned Friday after a media report revealed he owed the Internal Revenue Service more than $146,000.

Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher knew of Barbash's problem, as did the governor's chief of staff, John Haseley. Yet, neither said anything to Strickland, who found out only when Barbash told the administration he had received a foreclosure notice on his home.

The situation sends a couple of possible messages, neither of them good.

One, the governor's staff keeps him out of the loop. Or, two, the governor doesn't pay attention to his own vetting process.

So, Lee Fisher and John Haseley knew of Barbash's tax problems and yet failed to tell the Guv?

Shame on them.

Governor Strickland is in the midst of a tough budget cycle and is looking at a no-gimme re-election campaign next year. These two should know better than to make his life more difficult than it already is.

As for Mark Barbash, fear not! You may owe $146,000 to the IRS, but Akron mayoral recall instigator Warner Mendenhall has you topped! He owes $196,000. So, Mark, you may not be fit to be director of Development, but you can feel free to start a petition drive to recall your local mayor. And, you can whine about it if your mayor's supporters try to point out your tax lien as a reason not to support your recall efforts too, just like Mendenhall has.

OH-GOV: Kasich Filing Today

According to the Chicago Tribune's political blog The Swamp, FAUX NEWS commentator John Kasich will file papers today to challenge Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland in the 2010 election.

In Ohio, Republican John Kasich, a former longtime congressman and also commentator for FOX News Channel, plans to file papers today for a bid for governor, according to a well-placed source.

Republicans wanted Kasich to run in 2006, he demurred, but has been planting the seeds for 2010 since them - in March 2008, he suggested that Ohio's income tax should be "phased out.'' He served last year as honorary chairman of "Recharge Ohio,'' a group committed to finding leaders who could "get our state back on track.'

Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland presides over a state that the Democrats were able to corral for the election of President Barack Obama last year, a state which nevertheless has undergone extreme pressure in the recession now underway even before it was a recognized recession. How Ohio plays in 2010 will speak volumes about what Ohioans make of the Democratic strategy for economic recovery.

Ted Strickland on Lou Dobbs Last Night

Watching this interview of Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland on CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight last night, I thought our governor acquitted himself well. Lou Dobbs seemed to be generally positive about the governor and about Ohio. And then I saw that the screen was referring to Gov. Strickland as (R-Ohio). Was Dobbs nice to Strickland because he thought he was a Republican? Or was the fact that Dobbs was nice to Strickland enough to make Dobbs' staff think he was a Republican? Interesting either way. 

Passenger Rail Survives in GOP Transportation Bill; Let's Pass It

The GOP controlled Ohio Senate has passed its version of the Transportation bill that came over from the House. After my analysis of it, I'm glad to see that the signature provision of the bill -- applying for federal stimulus money to start up a passenger rail service between Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati -- survived. 

The GOP made some other changes to the bill. Surprisingly, I liked most of them. The changes include:

• Scraping Ohio's split speed limits and allowing trucks and school buses to also go 65 MPH statewide just like they can on the Ohio Turnpike.
• Requires that at least $15 million in stimulus money be spent in each of ODOT's 12 districts.
• Scraping a plan to allow speed cameras to be placed in construction zones.
• Removing a provision that would have allowed police to pull over motorists for no other reason than that they aren't wearing a seat belt.

Let's pass this puppy. After having to make a down and back on I-71 last night to attend OYD's St. Patrick's Day fundraiser, I'm more gung ho then I was before about 3-C passenger rail.

Nevermind Lee Fisher's Website, Where's Ted Strickland's?

So after all the hoopla about Lee Fisher's website from certain voices in the leftysphere, I'd like to ask this: has anyone visited Ted Strickland's website recently? Yeah. Try it out. You'll find a whole lot of nothing. 

Neither does anyone seem to be home at the Democratic Governor's Association.

The 2010 election cycle is underway everyone. Time get your websites up and running.