Strickland too little, too late on NCR

Let me state for the record that I think much of what we call economic development (grants, incentives, tax breaks, etc.) is a giant boondoggle that does little in the long run to foster a strong economic climate.

That said, if you are going to live by the sword they you will die by the sword.  Ted Strickland and Lee Fisher gave no indication that they believed these sort of efforts were counter-productive and gave every impression that they knew how to use government to create jobs and make Ohio competitive.

I think it is safe to say then that they failed when it comes to NCR:

The state of Georgia offered NCR Corp. almost $100 million to abandon its Dayton headquarters, which it called home for more than a century, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution analysis.

The Atlanta newspaper said unnamed NCR (NYSE:NCR) and state officials confirmed its $96 million estimate.

The estimate does not include a state grant that Georgia officials have refused to place a value on, according to the paper.

And Ohio?

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland offered NCR $31.1 million at the 11th hour in an attempt to convince the company to remain in Dayton.

Strickland and Fisher failed to foster a reputation for Ohio that made it competitive, they failed to develop a relationship with an important source of jobs, and they failed to offer a competitive package and did so at the last minute.

Say what you will about these kind of deals, Strickland failed on this one.