Ohio rep explains decision on Youngstown casino

By David Skolnick

The Ohio House speaker praised the work done by the Valley’s legislators.

YOUNGSTOWN — The state Legislature had no choice but to reject a proposal to include a Youngstown casino on a May ballot issue to change the location of a Columbus gambling site, the speaker of the Ohio House said.

That’s because Penn National Gambling, the company that will build the Columbus casino, wasn’t interested in building a casino in Youngstown, Ohio House Speaker Armond Budish, a Democrat from Beachwood, said at a Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber breakfast Friday at YSU’s Kilcawley Center.

“They said, ‘We would support that move [of the Columbus casino site], but that is all we would support and not oppose,’” Budish said. “‘We don’t want to support anything else with gambling in Ohio, and we will fight anything else.’”

The Legislature’s choice at that point was to seek voter approval only on changing the Columbus casino location or do nothing, Budish said. Columbus political and business leaders strongly supported the location change, and the House and Senate turned down proposals to add a Youngstown site.

Legislation for a Youngstown casino, sponsored by state Rep. Robert F. Hagan of Youngstown, D-60th, was rejected 71-26 by the Ohio House on Jan. 27. Companion legislation in the Senate by Sen. Joe Schiavoni of Canfield, D-33rd, was rejected 20-13 on Jan. 26.

“Your legislators in the House worked hard to get that changed, but for a variety of political reasons, we couldn’t,” Budish said.

In November, voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing casinos at specific sites in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo. The location change in Columbus needs to be approved by voters in May for that switch to happen.

Also Friday, Budish praised the local delegation to the Ohio House saying, “I don’t think there’s a region in the state better represented than the Mahoning Valley. You are well-represented in the House.”

Budish added: “It’s really a pleasure to work with them — well, I don’t know if I’d go that far. They’re a pain.” The audience laughed.

“They’re always out to get more for the Valley, and that’s a good thing for you even though it makes my life much tougher,” he added to more laughter.

Budish criticized the Republican -controlled Senate for being too partisan and fighting the Democrat-controlled House and Gov. Ted Strickland, a Democrat, on almost everything. But Budish said he would continue to try to work with Republicans for the betterment of the state.

“Very few pieces of legislation are what I would call bipartisan,” he said.

skolnick@vindy.com