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In this week’s podcast we sit down with Jon Myers and Chuck Hootman, founders of Casino-Free Columbus, the local grassroots effort to halt the development of the casino in the Arena District. Jon & Chuck tell us about how this movement came about, why the casino is not a good fit for our community, what types of development we need to be striving for instead and ways for others to get involved. More information can be found on their twitter profile @casinofreecolo and their Facebook page – “CasinoFreColumbus“.
You can use the player below to listen to the podcast, click here to download an mp3, click here to subscribe via iTunes, or click here to subscribe to the rss feed.
[audio:http://blip.tv/file/get/ColumbusUnderground-CUPodcast33CasinoFreeColumbus457.mp3]
Coleman, Mentel on casino: ‘not there’
Thursday, November 26, 2009
BY ROBERT VITALE
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
Columbus’ top two elected leaders said yesterday that they don’t want a casino in the Arena District, even though the location was set in a constitutional amendment approved this month by Ohio voters.
Mayor Michael B. Coleman said he remains opposed to the casino plan — which Columbus and Franklin County voters rejected — while City Council President Michael C. Mentel said he wants “to see dirt turned as soon as possible, but on a site that central Ohioans can support.”
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City obliged to protect what it has built in Arena District
Thursday, November 26, 2009
BY ELLEN WEIBEL
Mayor Michael B. Coleman, City Council President Michael C. Mentel and Columbus City Council members, where are you? Where are your voices and leadership, which are so urgently needed? As residents of the Arena District, my husband and I bought into your vision. It made so much sense to us. We, too, felt that a city was only as strong as its core, and we still embrace that conviction. We believed Coleman when he stated that, first and foremost, it takes residents to build up an urban center and that once residents were in place, retail would follow. Those were his words, and they were inspiring. Like us, many suburbanites got caught up in the fever and left the comfort and stability of their mostly paid for homes in search of the vital, exciting neighborhood his vision offered — Downtown.
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Opposition to the casino seems to be mounting pretty quickly. Good to see city leaders are stepping up now.
On Edit: Okay, now that I’ve actually read the article, it looks more like Coleman and Mentel are ready to drop the ball at a moment’s notice. “We have to follow the law, whatever that is,” Coleman says. So special interests with millions of dollars to drop on a mass propaganda campaign can get new laws passed, and the Mayor has to follow them? Way to stand up for the people, Mr. Mayor.
You convinced me, I’ll do what I can to help!
Just build the damn thing and get over…
Yeah, let’s just allow outside interests to steamroll over our city without any public input. I don’t think so.
Some people in this city want it..some do not…its probably a 40% approve to 60% dissaprove It just so happens to be that most people on columbusunderground.com dont apporve of the casino…Ohio voted as a whole and it passed. It couldnt hurt Columbus’ economy any worse..we need as many diverse things to do here than we can get. Take a walk in the Arena District on any givin day..you will be one of 2 people out (Unless there is a game).
plz put a shirt on. plz?
I clearly didnt take it off for you ;)….I have my opinion and I speak it..who cares if u agree or not.
The problem is that it shouldn’t have been up for a state-wide vote, Urbanboi. This state-wide vote determined local affairs, not a state-wide affair. On top of that, it gives Penn National a monopoly on casino operation in Ohio. Penn National has no place in our constitution.
oh, it’s not a comment about your opinion. I just get a little creeped out whenever i see your avatar. it kinda feels like something someone would use on a homosexual dating site. again, not that that’s wrong. it just is weird seeing it in this context. so sir. would you oblige my asking kindly?
ETA: sorry for off topic. you can take or leave my request, and i won’t judge either way – and i’ll drop it. just wanted to let you know. I had an animated avatar for a while that bugged people, but that was for a different reason, and probably most people don’t even agree with my assessment of the shirtlessness.
Agree with them and wish to thank them for taking the initiative on this. Look forward to getting involved. Also agree that Urbanboi should put his shirt back on.
Feel better knowing I cropped out the satin lace bra im wearing
Back on topic, please.
I think all of you made very valid points. I love to gamble but I think Thory summed it up perfectly when they stated that Penn National has no place in our constitution. A question, If the casino does bring all the negatives that Casino Free Columbus is saying it will, could the city just claim eminent domain and turn the casino into a giant park filled with flesh eating zombies so we could all train for the zombie apocalypse or something?
Has anyone gotten in touch with Nationwide Realty Investors? I imagine they would be working hard to protect their investment in the Arena District. The only thing I could find regarding their view of this is here:
http://www.theotherpaper.com/articles/2009/11/19/front/doc4afc1b69978a5057037873.txt
Casinos can and will hurt the local economy. I don’t have the exact figures, but I heard that each slot machine equates to the loss of one job in the community, due to the money spent on the machine instead of other places etc…
Basically, gambling is kind of a waste of money, and Ohioans don’t exactly have much to spare these days. I feel like most of the casino proponents are either deluded, naive, or in bed with the developers.
Of course i wouldn’t mind if they changed the location, put it out on 161 or Cleveland ave or someplace else I never go.
Having this casino anywhere in Central Ohio is unacceptable. Pushing it into a low-income area is not helpful to our community.
I think that if Columbus/Franklin County succeed in stopping the casino, that we should also be ineligible for any of the taxes the other casinos bring in. Our share should be distributed to the other 87 counties and the host cities of Cleveland, Toledo, and Cincinnati. The city of Youngstown would have killed to get the 4th casino & no one in Columbus was screaming when the amendment was being drawn up. Now that we decided that we didn’t like the outcome of the election- we don’t want to play by the rules. So I say we don’t deserve any of the annual 600 million dollars in tax money the casinos produce. Its only fair. Let’s face it Columbus is doing so well- All we have to do is have Coleman add another .5% or maybe 1% city tax to make up the difference- we can all afford it. Maybe we can add some type of local ammendment that state and federal election results can be rejected for Columbus- this will stop anything like this from happening again. How dare the state make decisions for Columbus- It should be the other way around- Columbus makes the decisions of what is right for Ohio. Just think- we can reject Obama and declare Coleman our president.
JAL, whatever tax revenues that may come out of the casino will not be enough to cover the cost of added infrastructure, maintenance and police coverage it will require. It’s a drain on Columbus’ resources that we can certainly do without.
I am totally for waiving access to the tax revenues that the casinos in the other cities might generate for the state, but I really don’t think it will even amount to a drop in the bucket. Sell it to the rest of the state this way, and they might think we’re crazy down here, but I’m sure they’ll agree to it if they think it will mean more money for them.