The man overseeing the state agency that awarded Intel $150 million for its New Albany semiconductor fabs continued lobbying for the chipmaker after promising the governor he would stop, according to an Ohio Capital Journal investigation published Aug. 7.

Josh Rubin, chairman of the JobsOhio board, was a registered Intel lobbyist when Gov. Mike DeWine appointed him to the board on Sept. 1, 2023. Before the appointment, Rubin told DeWine's legal team that he and his firm, The CJR Group, would stop lobbying on behalf of any clients with business before JobsOhio.

He didn't. State lobbying disclosures show Rubin was still actively lobbying DeWine on Intel's behalf as recently as April 2026, the Capital Journal reported.

Why it matters in New Albany

Intel's Ohio One project, a $20 billion-plus semiconductor manufacturing complex on roughly 1,000 acres in the New Albany International Business Park, is the largest private-sector investment in Ohio history. The total state incentive package exceeds $2 billion: a $600 million onshoring grant already paid out, $691 million in infrastructure improvements, $650 million in income-tax incentives over 30 years and $150 million from JobsOhio.

Production was originally promised for 2025. Intel pushed that back to at least 2030, according to a company newsroom update published Feb. 28, 2025.

The delay raises the stakes on clawback provisions. DeWine told the Ohio Capital Journal in August 2025 that the state cannot attempt to recover its $600 million grant until Jan. 1, 2029. Attorney General Dave Yost said in March 2025 that the state has "little power" to recoup the money even then.

As board chairman, Rubin holds authority over the JobsOhio staff that disburses funds and could have a say in any future clawback decisions. JobsOhio did not answer when asked whether its board plays a role in recovering money from companies that miss performance targets.

Ethics commission weighs in

Paul Nick, executive director of the Ohio Ethics Commission, said Rubin's continued lobbying of DeWine on Intel matters "would also appear to contradict his representation to the Governor's office." But because JobsOhio is structured as a private nonprofit, it is exempt from state ethics law, and Nick said none of Rubin's actions could be potential legal violations.

DeWine press secretary Dan Tierney defended the arrangement, saying lobbying the governor's office on behalf of Intel does not qualify as having business before JobsOhio. "Our office is not JobsOhio," Tierney told the Capital Journal.

JobsOhio spokesman Matt Englehart said the board approved Intel's incentive package in December 2021, before Rubin's appointment, and that disbursing those funds is a staff function. Board meeting minutes going back to 2021 contain no mention of the words "conflict" or "recuse," the Capital Journal found.

Catherine Turcer, executive director of Common Cause Ohio, said the arrangement demands scrutiny: "One of the things we know is that you can't serve two bosses well. So Josh Rubin-lobbyist and Josh Rubin-the-chair-of-JobsOhio is only serving one of them."

Local stakes

New Albany Mayor Sloan Spalding told the Columbus Dispatch in September 2025 that he remained hopeful the factories would be built despite delays. Rubin did not respond to the Capital Journal's inquiries. The Capital Journal reported that neither Spalding nor City Manager Joe Stefanov responded to questions about the conflict-of-interest findings.

Democratic attorney general nominee John Kulewicz asked the state inspector general in July to investigate a separate complaint about Rubin's lobbying for utility company AEP while chairing JobsOhio. No outcome has been announced.

The next hard deadline: Jan. 1, 2029, when the state's clawback window opens and Ohio can assess whether Intel met its job-creation commitments.