Recordpub.com - OUR VIEW: Put politics aside, move to renew Third Frontier

Bob Taft had plenty of shortcomings as governor of Ohio, but one of the most positive aspects of his eight-year tenure was a job creation program aimed at helping the Buckeye State regain a competitive edge in technology.

The $1.6 Ohio Third Frontier program was an initiative proposed by Taft to provide start-up funding to encourage innovations in technology with an eye toward positioning Ohio as a leader in 21st Century ventures. "Growing" technology, it was thought, would be key to the state's recovery from the virtual collapse of manufacturing.

Voters approved $500 million for the Third Frontier through a bond issue in 2005.

Funds generated through the bond issue fostered the growth of technology-oriented ventures statewide, including several promising programs in the Portage area capitalizing on the liquid crystal research pioneered by Kent State University for more than 40 years.

Third Frontier funding is helping Kent area firms such as Alpha Micron and Kent Displays to explore niche-market uses of liquid crystals in products such as flexible display technology and adaptive windows, that could spur the creation of jobs. Both firms are spin-offs from the Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State University; together they employ about 100.

While most of the world's liquid crystal manufacturing is done in Asia and a great deal of research and development migrated to California's Silicon Valley, the Third Frontier ventures could help Ohio to regain a share of the industry which has its roots here.

The Third Frontier has made a good start at fulfilling the mission Taft envisioned nearly a decade ago and has provided a glimmer of hope for Ohio's otherwise dismal economic prospects. Renewing and expanding funding for the program ought to be a no-brainer.

That isn't the case, however. Gov. Ted Strickland, the Democratic leadership in the Ohio House and the Ohio Business Roundtable are supporting putting a new Third Frontier bond issue on the May 2010 primary ballot.

Republicans in control of the Ohio Senate aren't keen on that, not because they oppose the Third Frontier -- which has proven itself successful in terms of job creation -- but because they apparently are concerned about enabling Strickland to campaign on it in his bid for a second term. (The fact that Taft, a pariah in his own party, actually was responsible for the program appears to be forgotten by both Republicans and Democrats alike.)

Creating jobs and transforming Ohio's economy into a competitive and sustainable one ought to be a priority for everyone at the Statehouse, regardless of their political persuasion. This is one issue where politics ought to take a back seat to putting people first.

1.	Posted by dp November 15, 2009
	YEAH! PEOPLE are every community's LARGEST and most underutilized and overlooked ASSET. It needs to be about PEOPLE - all people. And We the People need to make sure it happens. PEOPLE are WHY governments (local, state, federal) exist in these United States of America. PEOPLE not politics. Politics is HOW one gets to a political office. Once there, the elected person's concern should be ALL PEOPLE, not his or hers next run for office or next higher office. If those elected cannot "Put Politics Aside" they should resign; if they won't resign, WE should ask them to resign; if they still won't resign, they will not be re-elected to the same position and if WE are smart, WE will make sure WE watch to make sure they do not try to find another elected position to seek. If WE are really, really smart, WE'LL set up a data base to keep track of all those who sought and obtained public office and make it publically available. (How 3rd Frontier of me . . . or would that be how reverse 'big brother' of me . . .) Speaking of the prior governor by way of the 3rd Frontier, last Friday I was at Portage County's Onestop at 1081 West Main Street, Ravenna, and picked up 4 brochures entitled "Blueprints for Job Placement" with each of the types of unemployment: Seasonal, Frictional, Structural, Cyclical. All dated February 2006, with April 2007 revisions. These Onestops, situated in each of the 20 Ohio Workforce Areas, are there for the PEOPLE. Portage County is in Workforce Area 19 (aka GAPP Geauga Ashtabula Portage Partnership), and in our area, each county has a Onestop. The 'delivery' method (to ramp up skills and education of PEOPLE) has been in place for years, but has not been effectively communicated to the PEOPLE. Kent State has a campus in each of the three counties in our Workforce Area in addition to the campuses (or would that be campi's) in surrounding counties. The current governor appointed Eric Fingerhut to assess the education delivery system in Ohio. They've done it and are having some difficulty getting that word out to the older crowd (beyond college graduation age to senior citizens), especially those who are watching self sustaining jobs disappear and are working multiple jobs to be able to just pay bills. It is really time to let our fingers do the walking and talking. There needs to be an effort made to make sure PEOPLE are computer literate and proficient. This effort alone will pay dividends beyond anyone's imagination. Last night I listened to the audio recording of the November 4, 2009 GAPP Executive Committee meeting. One of the items was to reject all bids to have their website redone (second time in the past six months bids have been rejected). It's outdated, 5 directors behind the Latest Interim Director, email addresses are not functional, was not functional between July & December 2008. More than $3 MILLION stimulus dollars were sent to Area 19 aka GAPP. Since May, there have been $316,000 Stimulus admin dollars that remain unused. 'Suggested Ideas' far exceed the $316,000, but the money still remains intact and the 'Use it or lose it' time limit just might occur before the GAPP Workforce Investment Board (appointed by the commissioners of all three counties - by the way, the board is still out of compliance because it needs more business members, apply to your county commissioners)can come up with a plan. Personally, I think the development of a 21st Century ABLE (Adult Basic Literacy Ed) program aimed at providing computer literacy and proficiency to adults by way of local school districts would be a win-win-win situation. Targeted at the areas of the three counties where computer proficiency is needed, if it works, it could go state-wide, maybe nationwide. Perhaps someone more persuasive than I should pitch it . . . Last year, 2008, the State of Ohio returned more than $20 MILLION UNUSED Workforce Investment Act dollars. $20 MILLION that could have been used to ramp up the skills and education of Ohioans. Here's the GAPP site: http://www.gapp-inc.com/ Here's the Portage County site - I just checked it and it was not working: http://www.portageworkforce.org/ Here's a neighboring Workforce Area (Trumbull, Mahoning, Columbiana Counties) and their website: http://www.onestopohio.org/ KSU's Trumbull Campus http://www.trumbull.kent.edu has a Workforce Development Office. This past March I asked GAPP & Portage County 'if KSU Trumbull can do this for Trumbull County, why can't KSU's main campus do it for Portage County?'. Of all the people I asked, only one person responded to me - Lester Lefton. WE pay taxes that fund our governments, who have the legislators who create the programs and policies, often requested by county government and mayors, etc. The plan and programs are in place - they need to be worked, not used as 'in-kind' sorts of campaigning efforts. Oh my! I'm back to the lead in of this article 'put politics aside' . . . So this can be the beginning of the next conversation, what WE the PEOPLE will be doing. When Businesses, Individuals, Non-Profits and Governments work together, communities (however defined) thrive! It all starts with communication . . .