Faced with a lawsuit over his eligibility to work as director of the Ohio Department of Development, Mark Kvamme will give up the job but will continue working with the state in another role.
Kvamme’s new title is director of job creation. He’ll be replaced as director of development by James Leftwich, previously CEO of the Dayton Development Coalition.
Liberal policy group ProgressOhio filed a lawsuit last week against Gov. John Kasich, which argued that Kvamme’s status as a California resident made him ineligible to work as director of a state agency. Kvamme is a friend and campaign contributor of Kasich, who appointed Kvamme in January as ODOD’s interim director with a $1 salary.
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Kasich apparently realized that Kvamme’s position atop ODOD was untenable, but obviously wants to keep the former partner with Menlo Park, California-based Sequoia Capital as part of his cabinet.
“I was frustrated when some tried to raise roadblocks to his eligibility to serve based on his residency, but I guess I shouldn’t be surprised by anything in politics,” Kasich said in a statement. “I’m confident we could overcome those objections, but job creation is too important for distractions.”
In his new role, Kvamme will help oversee job creation policy statewide, work with regional economic development partners to enhance job creation strategies and help state agencies maximize the economic benefit of their operations, according to the statement.
Leftwich has spent the last six years with the Dayton Development Coalition.
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Brian Rothernberg, executive director of ProgressOhio, told the Columbus Dispatch that he was pleased with the move. “I wish the governor would’ve done this weeks ago, but in the end the constitution was upheld and that’s what’s important,” he said.
