Columbus, OH—It’s an important year in politics and nobody recognizes that more than the Columbus Chamber of Commerce.  This year’s event boasted record-breaking attendance as well as thought-provoking conversation and insights.

The morning kicked off with Columbus City Schools superintendent Daniel Good having a fireside-chat with Huntington Bancshares Executive Vice President, Barbara Benham.

“We need a reminder of what is at home for some of our students,” remarked Dr. Good during the conversation, “They need us in their lives. They need us to be there for them. Then need consistency. It’s not just them, it’s their entire families.”

Dr. Good urged the community at large to be active in mentoring and fostering positive relationships with the youth in Columbus. Whether it is reading in classrooms, attending school sporting events, or volunteering on school committees, the future of Columbus will flourish with engagement from the leadership in town.

“They get excited,” shared Dr. Good as he shared stories of his visits to schools and events, “because they want to be like us when they grow up.”

Dr. Good was followed by State Auditor Dave Yost who provided insights on how he envisions “skinnying down” Government here in Ohio.

“Affordability, reliability, consistency and predictability should be keys when policy decisions are made,” remarked Yost during his presentation. He elaborated on fiscal responsibility and what it means to him.

The audience then broke into panel discussions focused on Workforce, Education, Transportation and Tax Reform. During the Workforce discussion, Rocky Parker, Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Nationwide, elaborated on the workforce model he has been formulating over the years. 

“Hopefully we can create a workforce model that others can benefit from,” Parker commented during the conversation. He shared that Nationwide has been part of a coalition consisting of additional insurance providers who work to collectively collaborate with educators. The partnership has led to insurance sector job training that has benefitted Nationwide and other insurance providers greatly. Getting more schools in the pipeline is key in making this approach successful.

Parker elaborated, “We eventually want to bring other industries in (to this model),” because he recognizes workforce gap isn’t just limited to the insurance sector.

The last portion of the event featured a Battle for Ohio debate between Republican Party pundit Kevin Madden from Hamilton Place Strategies and Democratic Party commentator Stephanie Cutter from Precision Strategies. Madden and Cutter were joined by additional party representatives, Matt Borges, Republican Party Chair and former Columbus mayor, Michael Coleman, who currently serves as a business and government strategist for law firm Ice Miller, LLP.  Karen Kasler from Ohio Public Radio & TV moderated the lively discussion.

The presidential election dominated the majority of the conversation as each panelist shared their views. One point made by Kevin Madden was unanimously agreed upon by everybody around the table, “People are putting more of a focus on a candidate…who can shake the status quo,” Madden continued, “This is a year where voters are reacting to attitude instead of ideas.”

While most may anticipate a heated exchange, there were moments where opposing parties were complimentary and supportive of each other. Former Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman shared, “Even as a lifelong Democrat, I’m proud of the campaign Governor John Kasich ran.”

Borges and Cutter exchanged compelling statistics and light-hearted jabs which kept the conversation lively. Kasler made sure to loop the conversation back to Ohio—and what important issues are impacting Columbus at a state and local level.

“This is going to be a close election in both the presidential campaign and in the senate campaign,” remarked Cutter. She made mention several times encouraging voters to look at polls in the aggregate when seeking information on all elections.

“It isn’t just one poll that told us where this race is,” responded Borges in response to Kasler questioning him on his predictions for the presidential and senate races.

The audience of over 400 consisted largely of local, state and federal government representatives and legislators. Business business leaders and community influencers made up the balance of the attendees.

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Read Columbus Chamber Government Day Highlights on Columbus Chamber of Commerce.