Lawmaker tries, fails to get local casino added to ballot

The Senate refused to add Youngstown to the list of Ohio’s casino sites.

Photo

State Sen. Joe Schiavoni of Canfield, D-33rd

Photo

Rep. Robert F. Hagan, D-Youngstown. (AP Photo/Larry Phillips)

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Senate signed off on a ballot issue that would change the location of a Columbus casino, but not before one lawmaker unsuccessfully attempted to add a Youngstown site to the mix.

The resolution next heads to the Ohio House for further consideration. Both chambers have to act before Feb. 3 in order to place the issue before voters during the May primary.

In November, voters approved a constitutional amendment allowing casinos at sites in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo.

Since then, Columbus officials have been in discussions with casino representatives with hopes of relocating the site in that city.

Columbus city officials and Penn National Gaming have agreed on an alternative site for the new casino.

To do that, the issue would have to be put to voters statewide again.

A comparable resolution on the issue has been introduced in the Ohio House.

But Rep. Bob Hagan, a Democrat from Youngstown, has sought support to add language to the amendment to include a fifth Ohio casino in his home city.

During Tuesday’s Senate Session, Sen. Joe Schiavoni, a Democrat from Canfield, offered that amendment, saying Youngstown has felt like “the bad kid up in the corner” left out of other economic development initiatives.

“People in the Mahoning County have gone through a lot,” he said.

“They’ve gone through a lot of struggles. It seems like every week we have job loss news. ... This casino would not only bring the construction jobs to the downtown area but also keep long-term, good-paying jobs.”

Senate Minority Leader Capri Cafaro, a Democrat from Hubbard, added, “The people of Youngstown are supportive of this concept. They want to see an opportunity to have some kind of economic growth.”

But the Senate voted 20-13 against adding Schiavoni’s amendment, and the final resolution passed on a vote of 31-2.