Three Thoughts: Labor Day Advice for the Next Governor

 

Labor Day is upon us. 

Ohioan Jacob Coxey from my hometown Massillon led a march on Washington for economic policy in 1894.  Labor Day became a thing that same year as Congress’ answer to the populist demands of the time. 

Not long after, the labor holiday also became the traditional start of political campaigns.  Voter interest picks up in the sprint to November.  

Economic policy and political campaigning are intertwined with Labor Day.  Ohioans still tend to tune in to elections more after Labor Day to ponder how they are going to vote.  It’s also when candidates are starting to think more seriously about what happens after Election Day. 

With that backdrop, I have three thoughts for Ohio’s next governor about what governing looks like after the results have set in.  There are lessons to be gleaned from past governors. 

First Thought: Jobs. Jobs. Jobs.

Ohio Governor Jim Rhodes turned a catch phrase into a governing roadmap.  His “jobs, jobs and jobs” theme is still spot on today.  

His closest gubernatorial race in 1974 was a referendum on manufacturing jobs versus a service sector shift.  The lesson then is the lesson today: Focusing on manufacturing jobs is job one, two, and three for an Ohio governor. 

Keep a focus on Ohio’s economic base.  Bad economic times come inevitably, and the most resilient state economy is one where the base stays diverse and strong.  History shows an economic downtown is worse in places where the base is weakened and overdependent on a few sectors. 

Every cabinet agency should answer the question:  How does this policy affect manufacturing?  Manufacturing is the foundation of our Ohio economy.  

Another Thought: All development is local

Tip O’Neill’s saying, “All politics is local” also applies to development.  

Ohio Governor George Voinovich, himself a local official at heart, coached local officials he met to think about their community needs saying, “If you know what you want, you can get it.”  Local consensus building was central to the Voinovich development approach. 

That translates to:  Empower local communities. 

For example, no development happens without a site or building.  At the core of local economic growth is site readiness—a locally driven endeavor.  State government can only empower local readiness, not replace it. 

Third Thought: Business climate matters

It was a governor, then Texas Governor George W. Bush, who gave the best definition of economic development I’ve heard saying, “Economic development is creating an environment where people are willing to risk capital.” 

Some things only a Governor can do.  Governor Mike DeWine famously met with corporate decision makers over Fran’s breakfast.  That sincere, personal touch—something only a governor can deliver—is how even multibillion-dollar, job-creating investments get closed. 

There’s more to this business climate factor, as the recent CNBC rankings demonstrate.  

Infrastructure and workforce are woven into business climate and that’s where a governor is both a general and a front-line soldier.  

Grassroots political campaigning causes gubernatorial candidates to see more from the front lines of the economy and development than any state aides will ever see.  You can’t visit dozens of county fairs, festivals, and parades and not absorb an understanding of the wants and needs of Ohioans.  Trust what you learn. 

Labor Day is when governing questions come into focus for Ohioans and for future governors alike.  Manufacturing jobs focus, local economic resilience, and business climate should be at the forefront.

Feb. 22, 1894; Newark Advocate, page 2

---------------------------------------------------------

This column is a regular column in The Columbus Dispatch.

Three Thoughts: Ohio Ranks, Again

 

Site selectors used to get asked, “Why is Ohio on our list?”  Now, if they leave Ohio locations off from the list of potential sites for their business clients, they’re asked “Why isn’t Ohio on our list?” 

Site selectors are the consultants behind corporate decision making.  These are the folks involved in every “mega” project finding their location.  By many estimates, 60% of large job-creating deals flow through site selectors. 

In July, CNBC named Ohio the number one state in its “America’s Top States for Business” annual list for 2026.  The news that Ohio tops the list is still reverberating weeks later. 

The site selector listing change tends to parallel the CNBC ranking changes. 

Ohio ranks top because of the state’s leadership, manufacturing edge, and natural location advantages. 

First Thought: Manufacturing edge matters

“Manufacturing is not simply part of Ohio’s success story. It is the reason Ohio leads.”  The Ohio Manufacturers’ Association leadership’s assertion on the CNBC ranking is true. 

Ohio’s economic success is owed to the manufacturing sector.  Among the top three manufacturing employment states, Ohio is number one in per capita manufacturing.  The edge in manufacturing is evident in Ohio too. 

Few were predicting that Ohio would reach $1 trillion GDP as fast as it did just as fewer were predicting Ohio would leapfrog to the CNBC top rank this year.  Manufacturing is indeed the reason behind the economic side of the gains. 

Another Thought: Location advantages matter

CNBC cited Ohio’s infrastructure as a top reason for the top spot ranking. 

Ohio has long had natural advantages in infrastructure.  Historically, Ohio has been an industrial development leader because of cost of doing business, abundant energy, transportation access, natural resources, and human capital.  

Market access matters.  Logistically, Columbus is tops for reaching 60% of U.S. and 50% of Canadian markets. 

The CNBC ranking confirms that Ohio is leading the way in putting these Ohio-specific attributes to work again in growing our state’s economy. 

Third Thought: Leadership matters at all levels

Who’s at the helm matters. The get-things-done leadership of Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has made a difference.  We’ve all been witness to his hands-on approach to winning capital investment especially when it plants the seeds for future jobs. 

The business climate focus of the Ohio General Assembly is leadership that matters.  Taming taxes and focusing on regulations that aid electricity customers have been critical. 

The JobsOhio model is the envy of other states for its business-minded approach.  JobsOhio tilts the scale for Ohio’s success with marketing prowess that communicates our state’s advantages coupled with smart incentives.  That’s leadership that CNBC noticed. 

Local leadership matters too.  Local industrial development shines where it has been ready to receive the manufacturing surge, taking advantage of expansions of existing industry and new locations. 

No top ranking occurs without competitive local real estate--ready-to-go buildings and sites.  No improved ranking occurs without local infrastructure readiness or local workforce development capabilities. 

Now, every business looking for a place to invest and bring jobs has to take notice—Ohio ranks, again.

----------------------------------------

This column is a regular column in The Columbus Dispatch.

Get Used To Growth, Ohio

Get used to growth, Ohio.

Whether it’s the two biggest capital investment announcements in Ohio history in 2022 or the very real statewide manufacturing resurgence, Ohio is on a trajectory for growth and opportunity which most Ohioans haven’t seen in our lifetimes.  Governor Mike DeWine is right to say, “It’s Ohio’s time.” 

Though the idea of getting used to growth could mean different things in different parts of our state, there’s clearly one thing in common:  Ohio is poised to grow in a way that hasn’t been experienced for generations. 

Manufacturing never truly left, but certainly the narrative about its importance to Ohio and the nation is back in a way that we can expect will continue.  “We are amidst a once-in-a-generation shift of global manufacturing footprints, and 2023 should continue to be a year of opportunity for manufacturers in the United States,” predicted national site consultant Michelle Comerford in January.  Axios reported that U.S. manufacturing growth at the end of 2022 outpaced the rest of the planet year-over-year, and the report added the comment, “for the first time in recent memory.” 

Ohio is the third largest manufacturing state.  Per capita, Ohio outpaces the other two. Therefore, national manufacturing growth equals Ohio manufacturing growth. 

Big cranes and big earth movers are the early signs of growth.  It’s great to see cranes are arriving and concrete is waiting to get poured at Intel’s Ohio fabs in Jersey Township in Licking County right now.  A drive by on Interstate 71 through Jefferson Township in Fayette County shows work has already begun for Honda as well.  

Jobs are the next sign.  Manufacturing employment in Ohio is very nearly back to pre-pandemic levels even before new hiring has started for the announced projects.  At least a quarter of Ohio’s counties are within commuting distance of the Intel and Honda sites. 

Manufacturing brings wider growth opportunities too. Some of the best jobs and tax base growth are with suppliers.  Intel already finds suppliers in 22 of Ohio’s 88 counties as they look to find more vendors in the state.  Honda boasts a supplier presence in 55 Ohio counties with the potential to widen. 

Getting ready for growth also means preparing to welcome back homesick Ohioans and new Ohioans.  Put out the welcome mat.  Over the years, Ohioans have been dispersed.  Job opportunities are the pathway back home.  

It’s already happening.  For two of the last three years, U-Haul has ranked Ohio in the top 10 states for growth when it looked at its rental truck trends as an indicator.  Returning to Ohio is a one-way U-Haul trip.

To me, a guy who grew up in a steel town that doesn’t make steel anymore, growth equates to opportunity.  I’m optimistic that my kids’ and my grandkid’s future opportunities to make a living in Ohio are better than they were when I grew up.  I am lucky to know Ohioans in all corners of our great state, and I’m certain that sort of parental aspiration is a statewide sensation.

 It will be great to get used to growth commonplace in Ohio.

-------------------------------------

This column is a regular development column for the Newark Advocate also submitted to The Columbus Dispatch.

Development News Predicts 2023 Opportunity

I’m a student of family history research.  I know that, in one branch of my family, my third great grandparents came to Ohio over 150 years ago from Germany.  Their granddaughter, my great grandmother, left the state but later came back.  In that same family branch, my grandfather left Ohio. He graduated high school and college on the West Coast but came back to Ohio 85 years ago.

Coming to Ohio, and coming back to Ohio, had a common reason among my ancestors.  The reason in every generation:  Opportunity.

I can’t help but think my personal family history trends could be a pattern for other families all over Ohio as the development announcement news of the last few years gets realized in job opportunities opening up. Ohio history has historical examples of windows of job opportunities that bring people to Ohio for the first time or homesick Ohioans back home for good. 

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine used his second inaugural remarks to call for legal immigrants and people interested in seizing opportunity to “come to Ohio.” The Governor is on to something. Use of his bully pulpit is spot on.

JobsOhio CEO J.P. Nauseef labels what we are experiencing in development announcements in Ohio as “generational opportunities.”  He’s right. 

2023 will be that year.  Licking County is at the heart of it.

New projects are getting more real.

Behr Paint will open a new building which will be the third largest on the Port Authority’s campus in Heath that boasts 80 years of manufacturing development.  The building will be ready this Summer.

Amgen’s building in Western Licking County is going up fast.  Little known fact:  Amgen is already hiring and quietly opened up in a new speculative-built industrial building in Heath last June.

Intel could start hiring in 2023, including internships with a promise of a permanent job when the facility is ready to open.  Follow Intel.com/Ohio. 

It’s a good bet that those of us in the development community are focused on helping ensure our existing industry has the chance to grow too.

Boeing is at its highest employment level in over 20 years.  They’re still hiring at jobs.Boeing.com.

Transcendia’s new building in Union Township looks great.  Jobs are there.

The list is long and wide in manufacturing in Licking County.

These now-emerging generational trends can continue as long as we continue to work, as a community and a state, to seize the opportunity before us. 

Let’s all make it our job.  Welcome homesick Ohioans back home. Welcome new Ohioans here. 

National author Joel Kotkin, who has been a frequent visitor to Ohio and Licking County, has his finger on the pulse of opportunity in manufacturing.  Kotkin recently wrote in a national column, “History is calling on North America, and the future depends on how we respond.” 

What a great time to be in Ohio.  What a great time to be in Licking County.

--------------------------------------------------------------

This column is a regular development column also appearing The Advocate.

Leaning Into The Storm: Reshoring Manufacturing is Ohio’s Call to Duty

Ohioans couldn’t get N95 masks into our hospitals.  Business couldn’t buy PPE to stay open.  States fought to get testing kits.

It didn’t stop with medical supplies.

Try to buy a bicycle during COVID?  Good luck.

Many overseas-dependent products couldn’t be found on our shelves.  Some seemingly simple items couldn’t be found because of one tiny component in the supply chain wasn’t available in our country.

Reshoring, the restoring of manufacturing supply chains to our North American shores, is imperative!

It’s also bipartisan.  It’s clearly one of only a few issues upon which both sides of the aisle can agree—let’s bring manufacturing back to the U.S.

History shows us that issues can fade after an election though.  As time passes and the early stages of the COVID nightmare fades from our memories, we must not forget the lessons learned at the beginning of this crisis.  The critical need to restore manufacturing capability in our country is absolutely one of those lessons.  

The demand is there too.  A recent Bank of America survey found an astonishing 75% of global corporate respondents saw the need to bring their supply chains closer to home.  The Wall Street Journal recently called middle America “the new emerging market.”

I believe Ohio is well-positioned to lead the nation in emerging stronger on the other side of this crisis by seizing upon our strengths as a state for manufacturing.  We can answer the call in a crisis.  It will take an all-Ohio, determined effort.

The factors that work to grow manufacturing are here.  Energy, affordability, logistics, manufacturing culture, and, most of all, a strong workforce are Ohio’s strengths at a time when those strengths are needed by the nation. 

The U.S. still produces 20% of the World’s manufactured goods.  Ohio ranks third among states in manufacturing, and the sector remains the highest-paying and highest-impacting part of our Ohio economy. 

Manufacturing has kept our economy strong throughout the pandemic.  Governor Mike DeWine was right when he said to manufacturers, “You've kept our economy running in this challenging economic time."

Reshoring of manufacturing has JobsOhio’s full attention.  The non-profit economic development arm of Ohio is marketing our state as “an open and secure supply chain location.”  When other states are cash-strapped and worried about their economic development capabilities being eroded by shrinking state budgets, JobsOhio is just the opposite.  Investments are moving forward in the tens of millions for getting Ohio more ready to compete for advanced manufacturing job opportunities.

All development is local though.  While the state has greatly invested resources to get more sites and buildings ready to go in the marketplace and focused more resources on worker retraining for in-demand jobs, it’s going to take an exponential effort by our local communities to deliver ready-to-go sites and buildings in order to realize this opportunity.  Workforce readiness is key to being competitive too.

Our Port Authority industrial campus in Licking County has been a model.  Our manufacturers, all essential companies, stayed open and stayed safe.  Defense, energy, metals, testing labs, life sciences, and food production are all critical supply chain industries.  We opened two new buildings to accept more investment and funded training programs to provide a certified manufacturing workforce to meet a growing manufacturing workforce demand.

Industry proved it can respond and be ready.  Examples abound.  The Ohio Manufacturing Alliance quickly formed.  Nature’s One opened to make organic baby formula.  Gathered Foods unveiled a protein-rich, shelf stable plant-based seafood product.  IC3D printed faceshields with their fleet of 3D printers.  Buckeye Mask made cotton face masks.  The Ohio maker of Purel hand sanitizer, GOJO, expanded three times.

I’m bullish on manufacturing.  Reshoring is going to happen, and it’s coming to the American Heartland.

Let’s be ready to answer the call to boost our manufacturing capacity and permanently grow our economy.

I’m convinced our best opportunities are ahead.

While some may use the analogy “weather the storm” to describe their economic response, I tend to think Ohio is poised to “lean into the storm” in response to the stormy economic challenges posed by the pandemic.  It will be for naught, though, if it is not an inclusive, all-Ohio effort.

All-Ohio Wins Development Race

Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and JP. Nauseef of JobsOhio can take a bow.  2019 saw Ohio rank among the best states for economic development according to the Site Selection magazine annual rankings it call's the Governor's Cup. 

Ohio pulled off a hard-to-pull-off #1 ranking per capita.  Ohio ranked second overall. 

A deeper review of the data provided in the "2019 Ohio Private Investment Survey" shows the all-Ohio performance was strong and stands out as the reason for the win, again.  Manufacturing's strength stands out as well.

Here's the numbers:

• 92% of Ohio's manufacturing projects were from Ohio's smaller communities. 
• 75% of all Ohio projects were from Ohio's less urban counties.
• 54% of all Ohio projects were from the manufacturing sector.
• 89% of Ohio's mega projects (> than $50 million investment) were from the 'burbs, including 95% of manufacturing-related mega projects.

There was a trend to be found in 2019--manufacturing surged in the 3C's.  The 2019 actual number of Ohio manufacturing projects was up from 2018 (243 vs. 238) with the increase from the contribution of manufacturers' projects in Ohio's three largest cities.

Conversely, since the overall number of projects was up, that means the smaller communities contributed a higher share of projects diversified from manufacturing.  

The bottom line is two-fold.

Ohio is proven fortunate to have an economy not dependent on it's largest cities to carry the state's economy.  In fact, the smaller areas in Ohio continue to carry a very large share.  There clearly remains reasons to spark investment in all of Ohio.

Manufacturing remains Ohio's biggest strength.  This is no surprise, though some national media reports might cause some to think otherwise.  According to JobsOhio recent annual report, Ohio ranks second in the region for highest location quotient for manufacturing.

Closer to home:  Licking County had 13 projects make the list--double the per capita number that our population would predict.  I'm also proud that five projects on our Port Authority campus made the list in 2019, four of them were manufacturer investments.

------------------------------------------------------

More background

This analysis comes from twelve years of reviewing the data that has been used to rank Ohio.  The trends remain consistent in 2019 versus past years.  

Let's start with what makes the list.  Site Selection magazine counts announcements of manufacturing, distribution, headquarters, and R&D projects that meet at least one of three criteria:

• investment of $1 million or more
• square footage of 20,000  sq. ft. or more
• job creation of 20 or more

The 2019 version of the Ohio Private Investment Survey was recently published.  It shares the list of projects Ohio's Development Services Agency used to self-report to Site Selection magazine.  Ohio submitted 449 projects fitting the magazine's criteria.  This analysis is easily reproduced.

Ohio reports 54.1% (243 of the 449) classified as manufacturing projects.  The number of manufacturing projects is up versus 2018.

Ohio's numbers show 92% of manufacturing projects came from outside of Ohio's three largest cities.  The list shows Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati combined for 19 of the 243 manufacturing projects in the state.  This means that the 3C's made a surge with a combined 19 projects in 2019 vs. 7 projects in 2018.  It also means that the smaller cities in Ohio surged in diverse projects not dependent on manufacturing.

Ohio's suburbs, exurbs, and rural areas have sustained an average 94% of manufacturing projects over nine years.  The number has never been lower than 89%.

Nine years of data shows how that pace has played out since 2011 when this analysis was first performed:

2019: 92%
2018: 97%
2017: 94%

2016: 95%

2015: 89%

2014: 95%

2013: 94%

2012: 94%

2011: 94%

Ohio's smaller counties brought 75% of all overall development projects to Ohio.  That's higher than the 72% average over twelve years.

Of the total 449 total projects, 335 occurred outside of Ohio's three largest counties--Cuyahoga, Franklin, and Hamilton.  

Twelve years of data show, consistently, that Ohio's success it owed to it's smaller counties.

2019: 75%
2018: 78%
2017: 69%

2016: 66%

2015: 70%

2014: 74%

2013: 72%

2012: 74%

2011: 68%

2010: 71%

2009: 73%

2008: 74%

Ohio's DSA report indicates 27 projects achieved $50 million or more in capital investment in 2019.  Fully 24 of 27 came from outside of the 3C's.  Consider that 20 of these mega projects were in the manufacturing sector and all but one of those were from Ohio's smaller communities.

Manufacturers and Suburbs Winning it For Ohio, Again!

Site Selection magazine's coveted Governor's Cup was one state away for Ohio again this year.  For the fifth straight year, Ohio came out in the top of the race among the states for economic development prowess.

Second place is a really good place to be if you can't be number one.

Ohio's good showing is, for longer than five years in a row, the result of manufacturing projects and suburban/exurban projects carrying more than their fair share.   That's clear.

Here's some key metrics from my annual analysis of the "Ohio Private Investment Survey," the tool Ohio's development agency uses to report to Site Selection on projects meeting the magazine's project criteria.

•  97% of Ohio's manufacturing project wins were from Ohio's 'burbs.  That's an all-time high.
•  78% of all Ohio projects were from Ohio's less urban counties.  That's also an all-time high.
• 55% of all Ohio projects were from the manufacturing sector.  That's up again in 2018.
• 94% of Ohio's mega projects (greater than $50 million) were also from the 'burbs.
• 100% of Ohio's mega manufacturing projects were from Ohio's smaller communities.

It sure makes the case for why Ohio is fortunate to have a breadth of investment-attracting local communities not dominated by just a handful of higher-profile places.  Policies that strengthen more communities' ability to compete globally are critical to Ohio's future success.

The data makes this point very clearly:  Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and his Administration, especially JobsOhio, needs to embrace manufacturing as well as embrace suburban, exurban, and rural areas for the key role they play in Ohio's development success.  Winning job-creating projects depends on it.

------------------------------------------------------

More background

This analysis comes from eleven years of reviewing the data that has been used to rank Ohio.  The trends remain consistent.  

Let's start with what makes the list.  Site Selection magazine counts announcements of manufacturing, distribution, headquarters, and R&D projects that meet at least one of three criteria:

• investment of $1 million or more
• square footage of 20,000  sq. ft. or more
• job creation of 20 or more

The 2018 version of the Ohio Private Investment Survey was recently published.  It shares the list of projects Ohio's Development Services Agency used to self-report to the magazine.  Ohio submitted 434 projects fitting the magazine's criteria.

Check it out yourself.  This analysis is easily reproduced.

Ohio reports 55% (238 of the 434) classified as manufacturing projects.

The list shows Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati combined for seven of the 238 manufacturing projects in the state.  That means 97.1% came from outside of Ohio's three largest cities--a record.

Ohio's suburbs, exurbs, and rural areas have averaged 94% of manufacturing projects over eight years.  The number has never been lower than 89%.

Eight years of data shows how that pace has played out since 2011 when this analysis was first performed:

2018: 97%
2017: 94%

2016: 95%

2015: 89%

2014: 95%

2013: 94%

2012: 94%

2011: 94%

Ohio's smaller counties brought 78% of all overall development projects to Ohio.  That's up from last year and higher than any of the last 11 years.

Of the total 434 total projects, 338 occurred outside of Ohio's three largest counties--Cuyahoga, Franklin, and Hamilton.  That's 77.9% of the overall projects--a record.

Eleven years of data show, consistently, that Ohio's success it owed to it's less urban counties.

2018: 78%
2017: 69%

2016: 66%

2015: 70%

2014: 74%

2013: 72%

2012: 74%

2011: 68%

2010: 71%

2009: 73%

2008: 74%

Ohio's DSA report indicates 28 projects achieved $50 million or more in capital investment.  One of those was in Columbus, so 27 of 28 came from outside of the 3C's.  14 of these mega projects were in the manufacturing sector.  All 14 were from Ohio's smaller communities.

Bottom Line:  This report shows the reason to care about what happens in all of Ohio and shows that Ohio is more than just three or six places of focus.  The reason to reach the places that have been left behind is because Ohio's success is broad and wide and can be broader and wider.  Let's get better.

Could This Happen in [Insert City Name Here]?

Steubenville, Ohio is making national news in recent weeks over an upcoming criminal case involving youth in the community spotlight. At the heart of this story is whether the high regard for the high school football program caused justice to be overlooked. The national news angle is boosted by the concept that the high school football players are ruling the town.

Could this happen in our community? This is a question everyone should be asking before they pass judgement on Steubenville. 

I've lived in Steubenville. I've lived at least one other place, Massillon, too that greatly elevated high school football in the community spotlight. Yes, youth in those two cities get an unnaturally-early exposure to fame. Yes, it's fair to say, that football players there do get put on a pedestal more than most places.

Even though someone may think, or even verbalize, the idea that those spotlighted young men "could get away with murder" (or any crime) in towns like this, it's simply not true.

Don't fool yourself to think what happened in Steubenville couldn't happen anywhere in America.

Youth drinking, regrettably, happens everywhere. So do a lot of the other things at play here.

Youth crime spawned by an unfortunate series of events is not exclusive to Steubenville.

Stupid comments by a head coach are not unique to Jefferson County, Ohio either. Bad judgment is not solely owned by high school football players in Ohio's former steel towns.

So, yes, this could happen in [Insert City Name Here].

---------------------------------------

UPDATE:  The trial for two teenagers concluded with a judgement of delinquent keeping them jailed for their crimes.  It's noteworthy that Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine said this in his press conference following the verdict as a warning to other communities: 

"Everything that has happened in Steubenville has been very difficult -- very, very sad -- and very tragic. But let me be clear -- this is not just a Steubenville problem. This is a societal problem."

Indeed.

RickOHIO Revisited: DeWine's Earthly Mission

This is a web column written before blogs were blogs at RickOHIO.com.  I wrote it in 1998 to piggyback on John Glenn's well-publicized return to space on the shuttle and advocate for organ donation.  Today, it marks 19 years since the passing of my friend, Becky DeWine, who's memory wasn't lost as her family helped it live on in many, many ways.  Becky's dad, Mike, is now Ohio's Attorney General.

DeWine's Earthly Mission

by RickOHIO

August 1998
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Time magazine's cover story this week was about John Glenn's pending Shuttle mission. This October, Glenn will be shot at thousands of miles an hour into outer space. Glenn's mission is to relive his glory days. Time says he's a hero for that.

While Ohio's senior U.S. Senator is in outer space, Ohio's junior Senator will keep working for his constituents here on earth.

Thank heavens for Mike DeWine.

His mission started August 4, 1993.

Becky was a just-graduated 22 year old with a bright future before her. Smart. Fun. Attractive. Though, as a Congressman's daughter, she could have been arrogant, she didn't have a arrogant bone in her body. She just loved life.

She was driving home; going to prepare for a trip with her family to a Republican picnic in nearby Dayton. A light rain was falling on the winding road and Becky wasn't the best driver.

Fran, her mother, was at home with Becky's younger brothers and sisters. Her father was in Akron campaigning. The news came to them, no doubt, a million times harder than it could have come to anyone else. Their daughter was going to die.

Frantic efforts were made to save Becky. The head-on collision on a poorly-designed section of State Route 42 between Cedarville and Xenia was going to take her life. Nothing could be done.

It was August 4, 1993 when God took Becky DeWine.

That was the day, too, that Mike DeWine's earthly mission was begun. The DeWines made the tough decision to donate Becky's organs. Somebody would benefit from their tremendous tragedy. Some good thing could come from such awfulness.

After much soul-searching, Mike and Fran decided to stay in the race and rallied back to claim the spot in the U.S. Senate that they had worked toward, and earned, since Becky was a baby.

Publicity and public recognition don't come easy to an otherwise unassuming family man from rural roots. Mike DeWine wasn't springboarded to the U.S. Senate. He earned his way there.

In the five years since Becky's death, he has made it his personal mission to honor his daughter by using his important position to fight to make organ donation more common. For it, he's his daughter's hero from heaven. He's doing "what Becky would have wanted" him to do.

Here's what Mike DeWine says about his mission:

Why do I call attention to the issue of Organ and Tissue Donation? I do it because of a tragedy. The tragedy is that 7, 8, 9, in some weeks 10, of our fellow citizens die, because there aren't enough organs available. They don't die because medical science can't save them--medical science can save them. They die waiting on a list, waiting for an organ to become available.


What can you or I do about this? Raise awareness.


Talk to your family and loved ones about donation, like I have. As we talk about organ and tissue donation, we can encourage families around the kitchen table to talk about it. This is one of the few times when the mere talking about an issue actually will, in fact, make a difference.

A hero is someone who acts without selfishness.

Time magazine won't grant any hero status to Ohio's junior Senator though. But he's the Ohio Senator that deserves it.

The only thing selfish anyone could ever claim about Mike DeWine's mission is that he does it to ease his pain.

While the news media hypes up John Glenn's mission in space, let's hope that some small amount of attention could be granted to Mike DeWine's mission here on earth. Please consider organ donation.

Mike DeWine Swearing-In Today

Today, after midnight, Mike DeWine, my old boss, becomes Attorney General of Ohio.

I'm attending the ceremonial swearing-in event at 2 p.m. and wearing cufflinks, a souvenir of his 1991 swearing-in as Lt. Governor.

Great Lady

The Platt kids encountered Fran DeWine at local restaurant in Newark, Ohio tonight. Her husband and my old boss, Mike, is running for Ohio Attorney General.  She was campaigning for him to turn out the vote.

I've known Fran since 1987.  She's the person behind her husband's success as a prosecutor, state senator, Congressman, Lt. Governor, and U.S. Senator.  Her lifetime of accomplishments make her a great role model for not only my daughters but my sons as well.

What a great lady.

Meeting POTUS

I'm not really sure what compelled me to write this list, but here we go.  Maybe my kids will be interested some day even if no one else is sooner.

There have been nine Presidents of the United States during my lifetime.  I've personally encountered five of them.

36.  I never met Lyndon Johnson.

37.  Richard Nixon came to the Akron-Canton Airport in 1972.  My father worked for the Republican Mayor of Canton at the time and was at or near the dais.  My mom brought me  to the airport.  I remember looking for my Dad.  I don't remember even seeing President Nixon though.  I was five years old.

38. I should have met Gerald Ford.  I played in a golf outing for which he was the keynote guest in 1994, but I had to leave the event before he showed up.

39. I've never encountered Jimmy Carter.

40. As a Capitol Hill intern in the Summer of 1987, I got to visit Ronald Reagan's White House 4-6 times.  President Reagan took off in Marine One during one such visit, so I got to wave he and Nancy a goodbye alongside a few hundred other interns from GOP congressional offices.

41.  I shook the hand of and have my photo with George H.W. Bush from a visit he made to Ohio in the Spring of 1990.  That's a long blog story, but I was with my boss, then-Congressman Mike DeWine at a gubernatorial campaign fundraiser in Cincinnati and "snuck" into the "high-dollar" room.   I wasn't badged by the secret service to be in the room but stealthly pulled off the move nonetheless.

I was then at the VIP entrance to the room trying to get DeWine's photo with President Bush when DeWine interrupted my photo taking and introduced me to the President.  Someone, graciously, took a photo and later sent me a copy.  [Note to my kids:  That framed photo is in a box in the basement.]

I also encountered him a second time in Akron during that 1990 campaign.  The first encounter was in 1988 when, as Vice President, he came to Miami University for a rally and speech.   The office I worked in in Harrison Hall had a window 30 feet above his head which I used to watch and listen.

The last encounter I had was when he spoke to the Ohio Chamber in the early 2000's.

42. While working for the State of Ohio in early 1994, I attended a meeting of the now-defunct Advisory Commission on Intergovernmental Relations in the Old Executive Office Building.  During the part of the agenda where state officials were being introduced, President Bill Clinton came in the room.  I was the next person introduced after he sat down.  I never encountered him again.

43.  I attended the January 20, 2001 inauguration of George W. Bush but I was so far back I can hardly say I saw him.  I got at least a mile closer when I attended a March 2005 Columbus, Ohio speech he gave on advanced energy.

When he was Texas Governor and during the campaign in February 1999, I heard him speak at a Summit County, Ohio event too.  He actually had a memorable line that I used then and still do to succinctly define economic development.  He said something to the effect, "Economic development is creating an environment where people are willing to risk capital."  He's right.

44.  I have yet to encounter Barack Obama.