Casino supporters deliver signatures

By Marc Kovac

COLUMBUS — Backers of a plan to place casinos in Ohio’s four biggest cities turned in more than 850,000 petition signatures Thursday, a week ahead of the submission deadline.

The group, which calls itself the Ohio Jobs & Growth Plan, is hopeful there will be enough valid names to meet the 402,275 required to put the issue before voters in November.

“People in Ohio care about jobs, and they care about new jobs, and that’s what this plan does,” said Charlie Luken, former mayor of Cincinnati who is heading the casino effort.

He added, “I think this clearly is the best plan that Ohio voters have ever had, and here’s why: It’s going to revitalize urban centers, it’s going to create jobs, and it’s going to create tax revenues that’s going to local communities and local school districts.”

If approved by voters, the constitutional amendment would allow single casinos in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo.

Backers say the sites would create about 20,000 jobs — that would include construction work, casino employees and workers at businesses that sprout up around the locations — and result in $1 billion in new private investment.

Additionally, they say the projects would provide $200 million in licensing fees and $650 million in tax revenues for the state, counties, cities and school districts.

Four previous casino issues have been rejected by voters, including one last November that would have established a location in southwestern Ohio.

“This is by far the best plan Ohioans have ever seen,” Luken said, in response as to whether the new issue would fare better with voters. “And I think the economy’s a big factor. The economy’s different, and that’s going to make our job easier than past plans.”

The petitions were brought to the Secretary of State’s office early Thursday afternoon in a U-Haul truck with a sign reading “20,000 jobs, 4 new Casinos.”

The state office, in turn, will send the petitions to county elections boards to verify that signatures are valid. Casino backers will have an extra 10 days if they need to collect more.

Meanwhile, a group that has campaigned against past attempts to bring casino gambling to Ohio said it will launch legal action if Strickland moves forward with plans to place slot machines at horse-racing tracks.

“My guess is we’ll tie them up in court long enough that they won’t see a penny of the revenue projections,” said David Zanotti, president of the American Policy Roundtable.

Zanotti offered some of the strongest public criticism of Strickland, who last week announced his support for allowing video lottery terminals at the state’s seven horse tracks as a means of partially filling a $3 billion-plus budget hole.

The governor’s announcement, however, brought praise from the equine industry, which has long lobbied to allow slot gaming at tracks.

Eight statewide business groups, including the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, threw its support behind the proposal Thursday.

But it is not yet clear how the plan will be accomplished.

The governor is pushing lawmakers to finalize the move through the legislative process. Senate President Bill Harris, a Republican from Ashland, said this week he would prefer Strickland implement slots through an executive order, as he did when the Ohio Lottery expanded its gaming options to allow keno.

mkovac@dixcom.com