Supreme Court rejects request for mandamus & writ from casino opponents
This in via e-mail from the Ohio Jobs and Growth Committee:
UNANIMOUS OHIO SUPREME COURT DECISION CLEARS WAY FOR CASINO ISSUE ON NOVEMBER BALLOT
COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 31, 2009 – The following statement was issued today by Charlie Luken, chairman of the Ohio Jobs and Growth Committee, following the Ohio Supreme Court’s unanimous rejection of a lawsuit challenging the committee’s initiative petition effort:
“The Ohio Supreme Court’s unanimous decision makes it clear that Ohioans will have the opportunity to vote on November 3 on a casino proposal that will:
* Authorize first-class casinos in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo;
* Create 34,000 new Ohio jobs;
* Mandate a minimum of $1 billion in new private investment, and
* Generate $651 million a year in tax revenue for Ohio’s counties and largest cities and every school district in Ohio.
“The lawsuit was, in our view, nothing more than an attempt by MTR Gaming to protect the millions of dollars its West Virginia casino makes off Ohioans who now have to cross state lines in order to take part in gaming. We think that money – and the tax revenues it generates – ought to stay in Ohio to benefit Ohioans.
“The Supreme Court has made it clear that the Secretary of State and the Boards of Elections performed their duties, and that Ohio voters deserve the right to vote on what we are convinced is by far the best casino proposal ever put before them.”
