Ohio Governor John Kasich says the news that Ohio’s unemployment rate has declined again in May is somewhat unexpected. 

"I frankly was anticipating we’d have a bump up in the unemployment rate but it looks like we have gotten stronger.  And it’s fantastic to see these numbers go down."

Ben Johnson of the Ohio Department of Job and Family services says the drop in the unemployment rate is good news.

"The unemployment rate was 7 point 3 in May.  That’s down from 7 point 4 In April.  And the state added almost 20 thosuand jobs." 

Governor John Kasich says his policies are responsible for the improving job numbers.

"Yea, it’s good news.  94 thousand jobs since we came in to the positive.  But look, I worry about the winds from Washington."

But if you listen to Democratic Columbus Mayor Mike Coleman, speaking on behalf of President Obama’s re-election campaign, there’s no reason to worry about the winds from Washington.  Coleman says President Obama is responsible for lower unemployment rates in Ohio.

"It’s directly related to the policies of this president and frankly the president should take credit for that because his policies have helped turn this state and our nation around.  It is steady, steady growth in the state of Ohio and there’s a lot to do and we are not out of the woods yet but you know what….we are coming out and the state is moving in the right direction."

Coleman says President Obama took over at a point that was the worst recession since the depression.  And he says the president’s policies are helping but he says there’s still more work to do.  Governor Kasich agrees that there’s a lot of work to do.  He says more needs to be done to make sure workers are better trained and students are better prepared for college.  And he says cutting regulations and cutting taxes are helping to bring more jobs to Ohio.  The buckeye state’s unemployment rate remains lower than the national unemployment rate.  It was 8 point 2 ini May…up from 8 point one in April but down from 9 percent in May of last year.