Gov. Kasich Should Visit Burbmerger Communities, Spend $2 mil "off-the-cuff" Toward Their Collaboration Efforts

I am not being sarcastic.

From the Plain Dealer:

While touring a research laboratory at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus the governor asked the hospital's CEO Dr. Steve Allen what it would take for all six Ohio children's hospitals to work more collaboratively on medical research projects.

"Does $1 million get your attention?" the straight-faced Republican governor asked Allen. "If I commit $1 million, can that get you all to work together?"

His offer then went up to $2 million and he got one of his staffers, there with him at the tour, to call his budget director, Tom Keen, while they stood there.

The mayors of Moreland Hills, Orange Village, Pepper Pike and Woodmere, plus the County Executive Ed Fitzgerald absolutely should get Ohio Governor John Kasich to tour the four communities - ASAP.  (And don't forget to include State Rep. Marlene Anielski and State Senator Tom Patton.)  With estate tax revenue and local government funds being eliminated, while the governor's approved budget has $45 million going toward a Local Government Innovation Fund which doesn't actually get funded until 2013, who wouldn't love to read a Plain Dealer headline about some advance seed money toward collaboration-oriented goals that reads:

"Gov. John Kasich spends $2 million off-the-cuff; unexpected cash is for Moreland Hills, Orange Village, Pepper Pike and Woodmere to collaborate"

Read more about the Local Government Innovation Fund here.