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Home > Blogs > Ohio politics > Archives > 2009 > October > 29 > Entry
Columbus Mayor Coleman votes against casino plan
Breaking with mayors of the other proposed casino cities, Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman has voted absentee against Issue 3, the proposed constitutional amendment to allow casinos in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati and Toledo.
“The mayor is not uniformly opposed to gambling,” Dan Williamson, Coleman’s spokesman, said on Thursday, Oct. 29. “He believes, in fact, that at some point Ohio will have casino gambling. If so, it needs to be done in the right way.”
Coleman, a University of Dayton Law School graduate, believes a casino plan should be highly taxed, competitively bid and set up by the state legislature rather than by private interests, said Williamson. Issue 3 doesn’t meet those criteria, Williamson added.
Mayor Frank Jackson of Cleveland, Mark Mallory of Cincinnati and Carty Finkbeiner of Toledo all back Issue 3.
Bob Tenenbaum, spokesman for the pro-casino Ohio Jobs and Growth Committee, had this e-mail reaction to Coleman’s decision:
“We’re disappointed that Mayor Coleman didn’t see the benefit of a $250 million private investment and 6,000 new jobs for his city, but we respect his right to express his personal opinion by voting, just as millions of Ohioans will do next Tuesday.”
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Comments
By nyc
October 29, 2009 11:49 AM | Link to this
its good to see that at least one of the mayors has good sense…the other mayors are disilusioned by the dollars they have been promised from the casino lobbyist..there are much better ways to increase jobs and revenues instead of throwing the dice and hoping..
By barb
October 29, 2009 11:03 AM | Link to this
Does everyone miss the point that casinos bring down neighborhood values, attract crime and cause bankruptcies? I am not opposed to people having the right to gamble, but this all boils down to being an economic issue with money the only incentive offered. At what price?
By MiddletownResident
October 29, 2009 10:57 AM | Link to this
Just another Socialist wanting the Government to be involved … God forbid anyone actually make a buck on this deal.