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Fired Ohio Agriculture Director Speaks Out

photo of David Daniels
KAREN KASLER
/
STATEHOUSE NEWS BUREAU
Daniels was opposed to Gov. Kasich's executive order on farm runoff.

With a little over two months left till he leaves office, Gov. John Kasich suddenly fired a cabinet member who’s been with him for six years.

David Daniels said on Friday he was called to a meeting in the governor’s office that had been scheduled a few days earlier, and said he was surprised at what happened.

“Upon arrival, I was informed that I serve at the pleasure of the governor, and my services would no longer be required,” he said.

Kasich signed an executive order in July that created tougher rules on farm runoff to keep nutrients that can cause algae blooms out of Lake Erie. Daniels said he joined farmers in their reservations about it.

“I tried to share those with staff. And ultimately the direction that is currently being considered is where they want to take it,” he said.

Kasich’s office had no comment on the decision to fire Daniels. The termination letter, dated Friday, only said Daniels’ service is at an end effective immediately.

Karen is a lifelong Ohioan who has served as news director at WCBE-FM, assignment editor/overnight anchor at WBNS-TV, and afternoon drive anchor/assignment editor in WTAM-AM in Cleveland. In addition to her daily reporting for Ohio’s public radio stations, she’s reported for NPR, the BBC, ABC Radio News and other news outlets. She hosts and produces the Statehouse News Bureau’s weekly TV show “The State of Ohio”, which airs on PBS stations statewide. She’s also a frequent guest on WOSU TV’s “Columbus on the Record”, a regular panelist on “The Sound of Ideas” on ideastream in Cleveland, appeared on the inaugural edition of “Face the State” on WBNS-TV and occasionally reports for “PBS Newshour”. She’s often called to moderate debates, including the Columbus Metropolitan Club’s Issue 3/legal marijuana debate and its pre-primary mayoral debate, and the City Club of Cleveland’s US Senate debate in 2012.