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Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Strickland surprised by McLin’s loss
Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin’s upset loss came as a surprise to Gov. Ted Strickland, who had endorsed McLin and attended a recent fund-raiser for her but did not actively campaign on her behalf.
Strickland said didn’t know if stumping for her would have made a difference.
“The mayor and I are very close. I talked to her today, I talked to her last night. She didn’t really, you know, have that kind of campaign as far as I know, in terms of doing a lot of media and stuff,” Strickland said on Wednesday, Nov. 4.
Strickland described McLin as a terrific friend who worked her heart out for the city of Dayton.
“Of all the things that happened (in the election) that was perhaps the thing that was most upsetting to me,” he said.
“It was a close election and I feel badly for her. But I admire her greatly,” the governor said.
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TweetParty bosses trade insights on McLin loss
Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern attributed Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin’s loss to not enough campaigning early enough in the year.
McLin’s campaign “caught fire in the final weeks. We needed it to catch fire in the final months,” Redfern said. McLin was too busy governing and didn’t commit enough time to campaigning, he said.
But Ohio GOP Chairman Kevin DeWine of Fairborn said McLin’s loss represented the voters rejecting the status quo and the Democratic party’s lack of vision on jobs and its mantra of bigger government. He called McLin defeat after eight years in office “a humiliating defeat for Democrats in Ohio.”
“For a McLin to lose a re-election in the city of Dayton is nothing short of stunning,” DeWine said.
Each party chairman tried to spin Tuesday’s election results to look the best for their party and said they are positioned to win big in 2010.
“The 2010 election is officially underway,” DeWine said.
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TweetPenn National goal: two “Hollywood” casinos in Ohio by 2012
Penn National Gaming hopes to have “Hollywood” casinos like the one in Lawrenceburg, Ind., operating in Columbus and Toledo by late 2012, Tim Wilmott, Penn National president and chief operating officer said on Wednesday, Nov. 4.
“We’re very anxious to begin work here in Columbus and also in Toledo,” Wilmott said at the proposed site of the Columbus casino.
It is on the west end of the city’s downtown Arena District which includes the Columbus Clippers’ Huntington Field baseball park and Nationwide Arena, home of the NHL’s Blue Jackets.
Wilmott said the company hopes to break ground next year and plans to invest $600 million to build both casinos, with slightly more going to the one in Columbus.
The $335 million Hollywood Casino in Lawrenceburg has 3,200 slots and electronic table games and 41 live poker tables plus bars and restaurants. Dealers are celebrity look-alikes for Michael Jackson, Elvis, Rod Stewart and others.
Voters approved Issue 3 on Tuesday which permits casinos in Columbus,Toledo, Cincinnati and Cleveland. Dan Gilbert, majority owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, will own the casinos in Cincinnati and Cleveland and also has said he wants them to open in 2012.
Franklin County, which includes Columbus, was the only casino county where voters rejected Issue 3. Wilmott and Eric Schippers, Penn National senior vice president, said company officials want to work with Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman, who opposed the issue, and others to produce a first-class attraction that will add visitors and business to the bustling Arena District.
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TweetMcLin ducked out of dinner on election night
State Sen. Jon Husted, R-Kettering, said Mayor Rhine McLin made a brief appearance at a business dinner at the Racquet Club in the Kettering Tower on election night but left before the event got started.
No one in the room was aware that McLin was about to lose her bid for a third term, Husted said.
“Everybody today is saying ‘Oh, we should have seen that coming,’ ” he said. “…It really caught everyone by surprise.”
The dinner, attended by Gov. Ted Strickland and other state officials, was to welcome Beijing West, the company that purchased some of Delphi’s business lines.
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TweetMontgomery County Treasurer Rice urges support for land bank authority
Montgomery County Treasurer Carolyn Rice on Wednesday, Nov. 4, urged a House committee to pass legislation permitting Montgomery County and other counties with populations greater than 100,000 to have the authority to organize county land banks.
The land banks would be used to acquire abandoned properties and make plans for reusing them, Rice told the Local Government and Public Administration Committee.
There have been 23,262 foreclosures filed in Montgomery County from Jan. 1, 2005 to Oct. 26, 2009, leading to an big increase in abandoned properties, she said.
“I wish I had the exact number of vacant and abandoned properties to share with you but I don’t,” said Rice. “The number changes every week.”
The crisis affects villages like Phillipsburg as well as the city of Dayton, she said.
“This problem touches every jurisdiction in our county,” she said.
Interest on delinquent property taxes would be a source of revenue to get the land bank started, she said.
The committee on Wednesday heard from supporters of the plan. More hearings are expected before the committee acts.
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TweetStrickland disappointed casino issue passed
Gov. Ted Strickland said he is personally disappointed that Issue 3 passed but he understands, given the economic recession, why Ohioans are willing to give casinos a chance.
“The voters have spoken and state leaders and legislators must now implement the constitutional amendment while making sure it benefits the people of this state and puts more Ohioans to work,” Strickland said in a written statement.
Meanwhile, state Rep. Clyde Evans, R-Rio Grande, promised to introduce a constitutional amendment in the General Assembly that modify the casino proposal that voters just adopted.
Evans wants to bump up the tax rate to 60 percent of gross revenues, instead of 33 percent; route the tax revenues through state government for scholarships and education; select casino managers through a competitive bid process run by the Ohio Lottery; and allow for legislative input on where the four casinos may be located.
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TweetSen. Voinovich despairs over passage of Issue 3
U.S. Sen. George Voinovich, a former governor and long-time opponent of casinos, on Wednesday, Nov. 4, issued a statement expressing disappointment with passageof Issue 3.
“I am terribly disappointed. As a result of the passage of Issue 3 there will be a great deal of pain and suffering in Ohio - I feel for the families of those who will experience casinos for the first time in their lives and, once lured in, will become addicted to gambling.” said Voinovich, also a former Cleveland mayor.
“I predict there will be a particularly heavy burden on the city of Cleveland, whose poverty rate is already one of the highest in the nation. The jobs promised will not be forthcoming. I expect those who supported Issue 3 to be responsible for making sure the promises made are promises kept. And, I intend to be their conscience.”
Issue 3 permits casinos in Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo and Cleveland.
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Tweet233 lawyers suspended by Ohio Supreme Court
The Ohio Supreme Court suspended the law licenses of 233 attorneys who failed to meet a biennial registration deadline and pay their $350 registration fee.
Ohio has 57,311 registered attorneys, 41,808 of whom are active licensees. They have to register every other year with the supreme court. Registration fees, due Sept. 1, pay for administration of the bar and run the disciplinary system that polices lawyers and judges.
The court suspended the 233 attorneys when they missed the Sept. 1 deadline and failed to pay the registration plus a late fee by Nov. 2.
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TweetLawmaker ponders casino “correction” amendment
State Rep. Lou Blessing, R-Cincinnati, a leading opponent of the successful four-casino plan on the Tuesday, Nov. 3 ballot, said he’ll work with fellow lawmakers immediately to put a new constitutional amendment before voters to make corrections.
Blessing said the corrections amendment would make sure that Issue 3, for example doesn’t affect church casino nights. Issue 3 supporters have said the new constitutional amendment wouldn’t affect church casino nights but Blessing and others have disagreed.
For the legislature to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot would require support from 60 members of the 99-member House and 20 members of the 33-member Senate.
Issue 3, approved 53-47 percent, permits casinos in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo.
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TweetThree big casino counties fuel Issue 3 victory
Voters in three counties now in line to get casinos - Cuyahoga, Hamilton and Lucas- provided overwhelming support for Issue 3 on Tuesday, Nov. 3, fueling passage of the casino plan.
Voters in those counties approved the Issue 64-36 percent, according to final, unofficial returns from Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner.
Supporters outnumbered opponents, 461,384 to 260,083, a margin of more than 201,301 votes.
Statewide, voters approved the issue, 53-47 percent. The margin of victory statewide was 186,557 votes.
Voters in the fourth casino county, Franklin, overwhelmingly rejected the issue, 58-42 percent.
Casinos now are slated for Columbus (Franklin), Cleveland (Cuyahoga), Toledo (Lucas) and Cincinnati (Hamilton).
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TweetMontgomery County voters reject casinos - barely
Montgomery County voters ended up barely defeating the plan to put casinos in four Ohio cities, according to final, unofficial returns from Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner on Wednesday, Nov. 4.
The final tally was 72,007 against Issue 3 - 50.09 percent - to 71,736 - 49.91 percent- for the plan for casinos in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus and Toledo. The issue was ahead most of Tuesday night as election returns were posted by Brunner’s office.
Statewide, voters approved the plan 53 to 47 percent.
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