Issue 3 prompts second thoughts

Cavs owner says Valley should’ve been included

By DAVID SKOLNICK

VINDICATOR POLITICS WRITER

CLEVELAND — Though he can’t do anything about it now, Dan Gilbert, majority owner of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavaliers who’s leading the charge in support of the legalized casino gambling issue on the Nov. 3 ballot, said the proposal should have included a casino in the Youngstown area.

“If we had to go back and do it again, we would have reconsidered” Youngstown, Gilbert told The Vindicator after a Monday debate on Issue 3 at Cleveland’s City Club.

Youngstown was “absolutely considered” for one of the four Las Vegas-style casino locations, Gilbert said.

But those supporting the issue chose Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo as the proposed Las Vegas-style casino locations because of their populations and locations, Gilbert said. Gilbert would control the Cleveland and Cincinnati casinos. Penn National Gambling, a Pennsylvania company with 19 casinos and six horse racetracks, would control the casinos in Columbus and Toledo.

“Youngstown’s a great city,” Gilbert said. “But you can’t go back and change it.”

Discussions with about 3,000 Ohioans before getting the casino issue on the ballot led organizers to limit the casino locations to four, he said.

Gilbert and Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams debated Monday the merits of the Issue 3 gambling initiative on the Nov. 3 ballot.

Williams opposes the issue because it changes the state constitution to give significant power over gambling in Ohio to a small group of people. Also, Williams said he doesn’t believe the casino supporters’ revenue and employment figures — about $651 million annually in casino taxes and 34,000 jobs created — among other issues.

“You’ll hear many promises about jobs and money that sound too good to be true because they are,” Williams said.

Williams said he’d oppose this issue even if it included a casino in Youngstown.

“The issues would be the same,” he said. “If we’re going to do this, we have to do it right. Throwing a casino toward Youngstown still shortchanges us. This is bigger than Youngstown. It’s not about Youngstown getting a bigger piece.”

The gambling issue’s supporters say Youngstown and Mahoning County each would receive about $3.5 million annually under their plan.

Several of those at the debate — including Gilbert — were impressed with Williams’ debating skills.

“I haven’t been in a debate since the sixth grade,” Gilbert told Williams. “I was hoping to debate Jeff Jacobs. You’re a lot more likable.”

Jacobs provides funding to TruthPAC, a political action committee seeking to defeat Issue 3. Jacobs, of the Cleveland area, owns Mountaineer Casino, Racetrack and Resort in West Virginia as well as Scioto Downs in the Columbus area. Williams is one of eight co-chairs of TruthPAC, which asked the Youngstown mayor to represent him at the debate.

If the four casinos are successful, “it improves the chances for Youngstown to get a casino,” Gilbert said. “We’ll have zero opposition, and we’ll put zero dollars against any other casino proposal.”

In response, Williams said that is an empty statement because there isn’t anyone who’d be willing to spend the money necessary to build a casino in Youngstown.

“It’s next to impossible to accomplish,” he said. “It’s an almost insurmountable option.”

skolnick@vindy.com