Official pitches plan for sin tax money

Associated Press

CLEVELAND

To downtrodden fans accustomed to heartbreak, it might seem an exercise in futility: A top county official and gubernatorial candidate has suggested divvying up maintenance money for Cleveland’s three professional sports venues based on the teams’ performance.

Ed FitzGerald said Thursday that the idea hasn’t been tried elsewhere. But how do you decide who performs best when these teams typically wallow in mediocrity — or worse?

Cuyahoga County voters in May approved a 20-year extension of a sin tax on alcohol and cigarettes that’s projected to raise $26 million annually. FitzGerald wants the three teams to compete for 20 percent of that money based on how well they play. He would create a fan advisory committee to establish the criteria for judging performance and which team gets the biggest share of the cash, which like all sin tax money can only be spent on maintenance for the venues.

FitzGerald on Thursday called it a “win” tax.

He noted that a Cleveland team hasn’t won a world championship in 50 years.

City of Cleveland spokeswoman Maureen Harper said the city thinks the money should be split evenly. Cleveland owns FirstEnergy Stadium, where the Browns try to play football. Progressive Field, where the Indians play, and Quicken Loans Arena, home of the Cavaliers, are owned by the Gateway Corp.

A Republican candidate for county executive and a county councilman panned the idea. The Ohio Republican Party called it a publicity stunt.

Representatives from the three teams issued terse “no comments.”