Dems drop casino lawsuit

By David Skolnick

The lawsuit has ‘no legal basis,’ a casino committee spokesman says.

YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning County Democratic Party dropped its lawsuit against a committee seeking to open four casinos in the state.

But a temporary restraining order remains until July 3 that requires the Ohio Jobs and Growth Committee, the group backing the gambling initiative, and those obtaining signatures on petitions on its behalf to get the issue on the November ballot to not misrepresent “the contents, purpose or effect” of the proposal.

Mahoning County Democratic Chairman David Betras, co-counsel for the plaintiffs on this case, said the party had the lawsuit dismissed Friday because a common pleas court judge can do little on a case such as this.

Judge James C. Evans of Mahoning County Common Pleas Court was assigned to the case.

The state constitution gives jurisdiction over these issues to the Ohio Supreme Court, Betras said. In hindsight, the party probably should have filed the case there, he said.

By keeping the TRO in place, the casino committee knows “we’re watching them” to make sure they don’t violate the law, Betras said.

The issue was that two people working on behalf of the committee purportedly lied on tape, saying that the initiative would bring a casino to Youngstown and it wouldn’t amend the Ohio Constitution. Those statements are inaccurate, and the two were fired.

The county Democratic party wanted the petition drive to stop, but Judge Evans ruled June 5 to only require petition circulators to be truthful.

“Our argument is there is no case and there is no legal basis for this,” said Bob Tenenbaum, spokesman for the Ohio Jobs and Growth Committee. “The case is dropped. That speaks for itself.”

The committee wants a constitutional amendment passed to build Las Vegas-style casinos in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo.

To get the proposal on the November ballot, the committee must submit to the secretary of state about 404,000 valid signatures on petitions from at least half of the state’s 88 counties by July 1.

Betras said he’s fighting the gambling proposal because it doesn’t include a casino in the Mahoning Valley.

skolnick@vindy.com