November 2, 200915 yr To those that want to vote against it because it amends the Constitution... good for you. I appreciate those with real reasons to vote against the issue. I usually side with you, but I've made a special exception just this once. What he said.
November 2, 200915 yr This issue has been planned very well to take advantage of the economic hardships and to promote the benefits of the Casinos that (if true) are years down the road. Planned?? I know of at least 3 other attempts to get gambling in Ohio. 2008 - Issue 6 2006 - Issue 3 1996 - Issue 1 "It's just fate, as usual, keeping its bargain and screwing us in the fine print..." - John Crichton
November 2, 200915 yr This issue has been planned very well to take advantage of the economic hardships and to promote the benefits of the Casinos that (if true) are years down the road. Planned?? I know of at least 3 other attempts to get gambling in Ohio. 2008 - Issue 6 2006 - Issue 3 1996 - Issue 1 Sorry, i should say that this campaign has been very well planned.
November 2, 200915 yr How many unemployed people are in Ohio? The number of jobs at the Casino will produce spin off jobs and ancillary business (hotels, restaurants, travel related business) and increase tourism especially in Cleveland. That is what happens. I wonder how big of an impact this will really have here in Cincinnati. Isn't there already a decent vacancy rate at the hotels? and I wonder if the restaurants that go into a casino will actually dry up business at the restaurants in downtown. The hotel issue assumes that people will make this a destination, why would they? aren't we reaching a saturation point where all metropolitan areas have a casino within a couple hours drive? And really, i have seen the inside of a number of casinos and have yet to be impressed with any of them outside of Las Vegas. I've heard great things about the new MGM Grand in Detroit...but i haven't been inside and i don't think what we'll be getting here is going to be like that. Long term (more than 5 years) are these really going to be the cash cows that proponents claim?
November 2, 200915 yr So I assume by your haranguing that you are able to bring numbers to the table to support your point of view?
November 3, 200915 yr I believe they went through the constitution for 2 reasons (as I understand it), first to specifically rezone certain parcels of land for casino use, and more importantly from a tax perspective... altering the constitution so that the tax revenues specifically go to municipalities throughout the state instead of the general fund. I guess gilberts group did a lot of research and this was found as one of the top things people who were in favor of gambling wanted. No one wanted this money going straight into the general fund. And I don't think legislators will ever legalize gambling in this state, so we will always be given ballot issues presented by gamers. This one certainly seems to be significantly better than the previous ones at any rate.
November 3, 200915 yr I don't like local zoning issues being decided by state referendum. I wonder how this meshes with home rule?
November 3, 200915 yr there was some reasoning given by gilbert... though honestly i don't completely remember, don't completely understand, and obviously don't have any literature on to verify... that it had to be a constitutional amendment to zone it for gaming.
November 3, 200915 yr I don't like local zoning issues being decided by state referendum. I wonder how this meshes with home rule? Home rule only applies when dealing with a conflicting statute. Issue 3 is a constitutional amendment. The home rule municipalities do not have the ability/power/authority to trump the state constitution.
November 4, 200915 yr Update as of 8:42 p.m...... ISSUE 3 STATE OF OHIO CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 60 of 1069 precincts reported. Vote for 1 YES 120770 NO 56494 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 4, 200915 yr Looks like the casino is a go. I don't have any strong feelings about the issue one way or the other... I think casino owners are generally the scum of the earth, and the supposed economic benefits are greatly overblown. That said, I don't have any particular moral objection to letting other people set their money on fire at a slot machine, and I'd rather see a casino at Broadway Commons than a parking lot.
November 4, 200915 yr Dispatch.com confirms the aheadedness of Issue 3, along with this: "In Franklin County, the Children Services issue is ahead, but the South-Western, Reynoldsburg, Westerville and Worthington school levies are behind." http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/index.html It's always struck me odd how a person will move to an area for its schools and then vote down every levy that comes up. Sigh.
November 4, 200915 yr Except that the spread is holding well past the absentees, at least in Cuyahoga County, with one-fourth of the precincts reporting..... ISSUE 3 STATE OF OHIO CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT 238 of 1069 precincts reported. Vote for 1 YES 141195 NO 67853 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 4, 200915 yr Issue 3 also passed Geauga County with 100% reporting - since Geauga is known (along with Medina) as a conservative county, this should bode well for the casino effort. ISSUE #3-CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT-AUTHORIZE A SINGLE CASINO IN CINCINNATI, CLEVELAND, COLUMBUS, AND TOLEDO YES . . . . . . . . . . . . 17,160 53.56 NO. . . . . . . . . . . . . 14,881 46.44
November 4, 200915 yr my vote is in there. Columbus and the counties surrounding Toledo are dragging it down. It feels like Northeast ohio and southwest ohio are going to be the ones who pass it, if it passes
November 4, 200915 yr my vote is in there. Columbus and the counties surrounding Toledo are dragging it down. It feels like Northeast ohio and southwest ohio are going to be the ones who pass it, if it passes Only 5% of Hamilton has reported so far, less than a quarter of Cuyahoga, and nothing yet out of Summit. These should pad the yes margin quite a bit more.
November 4, 200915 yr EDIT: Hamilton Cty is having counter problems. Totals aren't registering! Always something.
November 4, 200915 yr State map graphic with county-by-county totals for Issues 1-3 when you hover over each county: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/multimedia/graphics/2009/09_election.html
November 4, 200915 yr How often is it that we see Cleveland and Cincinnati vote the same way on something?
November 4, 200915 yr If the totals are registering, what is the problem? Fixed, but still slow. "The count in Hamilton County is off to a slow start. Shortly after 9 p.m., board of election members gathered in the counting room, watching as workers dealt with some problems in the ballot-reading equipment. Ballots are being read by the machinery, but not spitting out totals. But about 9:30 p.m., the first batch of results popped out." http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20091103/NEWS0108/91102005/1055/news/Hamilton+County+tally+slow
November 4, 200915 yr State map graphic with county-by-county totals for Issues 1-3 when you hover over each county: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/multimedia/graphics/2009/09_election.html That's a pretty cool feature! If I were a betting man (hahaha) I'd say Issue 3 is going to pass. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 4, 200915 yr Yea and most of the counties going against the measure are already at 100% of the precincts and Franklin county is at 85%. There are still 13 counties though that have not started counting and not sure which way they will go but they are not as heavily populated.
November 4, 200915 yr I was just looking at that, too. I noticed the only "anti-3" county that has fewer than two-thirds of its precincts reports is Belmont County (Steubenville). But when populous "pro-3" counties like Cuyahoga has just 40 percent, Lucas has 33 percent and Hamilton and 16 percent, that's a pretty good indication that Issue 3 will pass. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 4, 200915 yr Hamilton Cty is getting their act together finally. 55% of precincts reporting.
November 4, 200915 yr It's now 53% for, 47% against statewide with 85 percent of all precincts reporting. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 4, 200915 yr This is gonna pass and I opposed it, but I actually think this could help the 3Cs and perhaps even Toledo's dt. Look Ohioans were gambling elsewhere, might as well keep it here and if it makes our convention business a little more enticing and perhaps give a rationale for more urban rail then all won't be lost.
November 4, 200915 yr Gilbert said earlier tonight that construction in Cleveland would start early next year. Is that really realistic and if it is, does that mean they already have most of everything decided?
November 4, 200915 yr C-bus surprises me! Doesn't surprise me at all. The Arena District is already thriving; Columbus doesn't need a casino there. Plus, a lot of very influential organizations/ local political and business leaders didn't endorse it. Anti-Casino ads on local tv were very aggressive.
November 4, 200915 yr There were a lot of agressive anti-casino ads in Cleveland, too. I think it's cultural. "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
November 4, 200915 yr They should have turned City Center Mall (downtown) into a casino! But anywho, I digress on that. I don't really support casinos but since they're in our bordering states I feel it's necessary at this point.
November 4, 200915 yr State map graphic with county-by-county totals for Issues 1-3 when you hover over each county: http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/multimedia/graphics/2009/09_election.html That's a pretty cool feature! If I were a betting man (hahaha) I'd say Issue 3 is going to pass. Yeah that map was cool. Notice how the middle of the state voted? Metro Cleveland and Cinci, really carried the vote. Maybe we shouldn't build in Toledo or Columbus since their votes don't want a casino??
November 4, 200915 yr Toledo isn't big enough to support a casino anyway! Everyone there would be within easy driving distance to Cleveland or Columbus.
November 4, 200915 yr Toledo isn't big enough to support a casino anyway! Everyone there would be within easy driving distance to Cleveland or Columbus. I was thinking the same thing. However, you-know-who will have a vastly different opinion. ;)
November 4, 200915 yr Dispatch.com confirms the aheadedness of Issue 3, along with this: "In Franklin County, the Children Services issue is ahead, but the South-Western, Reynoldsburg, Westerville and Worthington school levies are behind." http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/index.html It's always struck me odd how a person will move to an area for its schools and then vote down every levy that comes up. Sigh. Looks like Worthington and Westerville pulled through! Boo on Reynoldsburg, though.
November 4, 200915 yr This is gonna pass and I opposed it, but I actually think this could help the 3Cs and perhaps even Toledo's dt. Look Ohioans were gambling elsewhere, might as well keep it here and if it makes our convention business a little more enticing and perhaps give a rationale for more urban rail then all won't be lost. Unfortunately it's not in Toledo's Downtown, not even close. That was my main beef. I didn't vote on it today because while I overall support the premise, the Toledo location sucks. It should be built in the Marina District or as infill in Uptown. Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus have better locations. From what I gather, since this passed, these locations are set by law. The Toledo one must be built on the former LOF waste pits, miles from Downtown and cut off by I-75 from the core city. There's also no potential for spinoff around it, because the only buildings by it are a giant glass factory (thankfully a still functioning one). Doesn't surprise me at all. The Arena District is already thriving; Columbus doesn't need a casino there. Plus, a lot of very influential organizations/ local political and business leaders didn't endorse it. Anti-Casino ads on local tv were very aggressive. There were tons of ads in every DMA, but I agree that Columbus is already thriving there. It doesn't need it. There just isn't the desperation in Columbus to want a casino. The truth is these never really deliver all they promise. With that said, I would have voted for it had the Toledo location been closer to Downtown. That was the weakness of Issue 3, but not enough to get me to vote against it either. Basically, I couldn't decide on this. The ballot language simply stated the Cities the casinos are to be in, I don't recall anything more specific than that (Only that the initial investment must be 250 million) I for one, voted against it, only b/c I thought the issue should have set up casino tax rates and fees commiserate with our neighbors
November 4, 200915 yr ^You clearly didn't read the actual amendment. Sites are specified (actual plots of land). The tax rate is clearly defined at 33% and the distribution of the tax revenue is also clearly spelled out. The license fee is also set at $50 million as described in the amendment.
