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Friday, October 30, 2009
Voinovich, church and business leaders oppose Issue 3
In a last-ditch push to get the downsides of Issue 3 before voters, U.S. Sen. George Voinovich and business and religious leaders called the casino gambling proposal a rip off that will install monopolies in the state constitution, harm the poor, wreck families, and increase crime and addiction.
“I just want all of you to know this is a rip off. This is an absolute rip off in terms of the citizens of Ohio,” Voinovich said Tuesday, Oct. 30 at a press conference in downtown Columbus.
Joining Voinovich were the Ohio Council of Churches, Ohio Christian Alliance, Columbus Chamber of Commerce, state Rep. Ted Celeste, D-Columbus, and the Catholic Conference of Ohio.
The Ohio Council of Churches and Catholic Conference said through e-mails, video messages and church bulletins, they’re urging their collective 3.5 million members to vote No on Issue 3.
Issue 3, backed by Penn National Gaming and Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert, would put casinos in Toledo, Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati. Proponents say it’ll bring 19,000 construction jobs and 15,000 casino jobs to Ohio, result in at least $1 billion in investment, and generate $650 million a year in new revenue for local schools and local governments across the state.
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Legislative black caucus endorses Fisher for U.S. Senate
The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus on Friday, Oct. 30, announced that it is endorsing Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher in the U.S. Senate race.
Fisher faces Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner for the Democratic nomination in the Senate race.
“We’ve seen first hand Lee’s track record fighting for Ohio jobs and attracting new investment to our communities,” State Rep. Sandra Williams, D-Cleveland, OLBC President, said in a press release.
Fisher formerly served as development director for Gov. Ted Strickland and still works on economic development issues.
The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus consists of 17 black legislators in the Ohio House and Senate, the press release said.
“I’m honored to have the support of the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus,” Fisher said in the release.
“Together we will continue our work to rebuild and grow the middle class by tackling the foreclosure crisis and making Ohio the hub of the clean energy industry, creating thousands of new, good-paying jobs.”
Former U.S. Rep. Rob Portman of the Cincinnati area, who served as U.S. trade representative and budget director under President George W. Bush, and Tom Ganley, a Cleveland-area car dealer, are seeking the Republican nomination in the Senate race.
The winner in the Senate race will replace U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, R-Ohio, who is retiring.
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Gov. Strickland’s Ohio approval rating drops to 48 percent; Obama at 52 percent
Gov. Ted Strickland’s approval rating among Ohio adults has dropped to 48 percent in an Ohio Poll released on Friday, Oct. 30, the first time it had been below 50 percent in five Ohio Polls dating back to May 2007.
In the same poll, the approval rating for Strickland’s fellow Democrat, President Barack Obama, dropped to 52 percent, down from 63 percent in an April 2009 Ohio Poll, sponsored by the University of Cincinnati.
The poll also showed a glimmer of optimism about better times to come. Thirty three percent said economic conditions in Ohio were getting better, up from 20 percent in April and more than double the 12 percent in May who said things were getting better.
The drops in approval ratings has more immediate significance for Strickland, who’s up for re-election next year, than for Obama, just finishing the first year of a four-year term.
Eric Rademacher, Ohio Poll co-director, noted in an e-mail that more Ohioans - 48 percent - approve of Strickland’s job performance than disapprove - 37 percent.
“However, his approval has dropped 20 points since May of 07, which is almost identical to his increase in disapproval since,” Rademacher said. “So, that is a trend Strickland will want to reverse as we go into 2010.”
Other key poll findings:
*More Ohioans - 49 percent - disapprove of Strickland’s handling of the Ohio economy than approve - 41 percent.
*A majority of Democrats - 52 percent - approve of Strickland’s handling of the economy while a majority of Republicans - 58 percent - and independents - 59 percent - disapprove of how the governor’s handled the economy.
*Fifty percent of Ohioans approve of Obama’s handling of foreign affairs overall, down from 62 percent in April.
*Forty five percent of Ohioans now approve of Obama’s handling of the economy, down from 56 percent in April.
*Most Ohioans rate U.S. economic conditions as either fair - 45 percent - or poor- 47 percent, about the same as April.
*Also, most Ohioans also rate Ohio economic conditions as either fair - 39 percent - or poor - 52 percent -, again about the same as April.
The poll was taken from Oct. 14-Oct. 20 with 808 adults across the state and had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.4 percent.
