Don Davies, a restaurateur in northwest Ohio, said he’ll vote for state Issue 2 on Tuesday. But Tammy Rexroad, a school board member in Newscomerstown about 100 miles east of Columbus, said she’s leaning "no" because of her unhappiness with gambling in general.
"I’m a Christian. I don’t believe in gambling in Ohio or any other state," Rexroad said.
Issue 2 would change the location of the Columbus casino from a downtown neighborhood to a former auto parts factory on the city’s west side.
The casino was among four that Ohio voters approved last November for Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo.
Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman wants the city’s casino project out of downtown because it would clash with the district’s family oriented theme. The district is home to the Columbus Blue Jackets hockey team and the city’s new minor league baseball stadium.
Davies, who lives in Van Wert, about 120 miles northwest of Columbus near the Indiana state line, said he has only a vague idea of the debate over the casino location. He’ll vote yes, he said, because the overall concept of the casino is something that Ohioans have already approved.
Proponents, including developer Penn National Gaming Inc., say the simplicity of the ballot issue — it changes only the address of one casino — should make it palatable to voters everywhere.
The issue has no organized opposition, but the Ohio Roundtable, which has traditionally opposed expanded gambling, is encouraging voters to turn down Issue 2 because the group sees it as a special favor to Columbus business interests.
Mike Holtsberry, a registered Republican in Van Wert who lost his job when his plumbing and heating business closed in August, said he doesn’t know much about the measure. He voted against the 2009 casino issue, but he’s in favor of this year’s proposal.
"The casino is going to be built somewhere," he said.
John McVay, 61, a retired information-technology manager from Van Wert, voted for the four casinos last year but doesn’t think its fair for Columbus to get a do-over.
"We ain’t voting for the dang thing again," McVay said. "We voted for it once, and we’re not going to do it again. We’re finished with this thing. Good Lord, people."
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