Kasich should follow Mayor Coleman’s lead

Gov. John Kasich dredged up the traditional Republican playbook and presented a budget that gets the hearts of wealthy Ohioans beating madly, while staking his claim to the presidential nomination in 2016.

He has given the wealthy families who are his base reason to cheer by substantially lowering their state income tax. In addition to keeping more of their money, they now also avoid the Ohio estate tax which Republicans just eliminated.

All in all, he has greatly relieved their tax burden and shifted it to the middle and lower classes, who will make up any shortfall by paying greatly increased sales taxes.

His budget also starves school districts, while the budgets of local governments have been crippled by loss of the estate-tax revenue. State-agency budgets also remain lean. But the rainy-day fund is growing.

That's how Kasich does things. But another man, Mayor Michael B. Coleman, does things differently, and that has made all the difference for Columbus.

A couple of years ago, the mayor, recognizing that Columbus needed more revenue to meet its obligations, summoned the political courage to go to the voters for an increase in the city income tax.

He got it, and along with an improving economy, the city now is in the best financial shape ever.

The mayor did the right thing. The governor? Well, lots of luck the next time readers purchase something.