Tomorrow's political notebook today

The ages-old governor’s office in the northwest corner of Ohio Statehouse have stood virtually empty for nearly 10 years, more or less abandoned by the last three governors for more modern offices across the street in the state’s high-rise office tower.

Whoever is elected Ohio’s new governor next week, the old office is likely to see more action over the next four years.

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Ted Strickland says that if he is elected, he will pack up the office on the 30th floor of the Riffe Center move into the Statehouse, where Strickland says it belongs.

“Ted doesn’t want to be closed off on the 30th floor of a high-rise,’’ said Strickland spokesman Keith Dailey. “He thinks the governor ought to be working in the people’s house.”

For most of the past 20 years, the old governor’s office has only been used for ceremonial occasions, or when the governor wanted to get away from the bustle of the Riffe Center.
Republican candidate Ken Blackwell said Friday that while he would probably not move the entire governor’s office operation back into the Statehouse, he would like to use the offices there more than they are used now.

“I told both Gov. Voinovich and Gov. Taft that I thought the old governor’s office should be used more than just symbolically,’’ Blackwell said.

Working out of the Statehouse office more, Blackwell said, “would close the physical gap between the governor and the legislature, and perhaps the institutional gap, too.”
Howard Wilkinson

Republican gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell – trailing in the polls but insisting he will prove them wrong – had a homecoming Friday in College Hill.

Surrounding him at a storefront campaign office on Hamilton Avenue were about 50 friends, most of whom have helped Blackwell on every step his long climb from Cincinnati City Hall to, possibly, the Ohio governor’s office.

“You people have been with me always and I’m proud to have you with me now,’’ said Blackwell, surrounded by about a dozen pastors of African-American churches, campaign volunteers who go back to his Cincinnati City Council days, people who worked for him and with him at City Hall.

At the rally, organized by former Cincinnati councilman Charles Winburn, were family members – his mother, his wife Rosa, his son and brother – and long-time political allies, like Rep. Steve Chabot, Blackwell’s former city council colleagues, who said that in the 1980s, Blackwell was the one “who showed me the ropes.”

Among the supporters present was former East Price Hill neighborhood activist Gloria Morgan, a long-time Blackwell supporter who moved to Iowa last year. Morgan said she came back last week and will stay through the election to volunteer at Blackwell’s Hamilton County campaign headquarters.

Blackwell said that he has been accused during his contest with Democrat Ted Strickland of “wearing my religion on my sleeve. I tell you, I don’t wear my religion on my sleeve. Every morning, when I get up, I put on the full armor of God.”

The Republican candidate gave his own twist the Biblical story of David and Goliath to make a point about the polls that suggest he is about to lose to Strickland.

“The Israelites were surrounded by the Philistines; and when they saw the size of the Philistine warrior Goliath, they said, ‘how can we win against someone that size?,’’’ Blackwell said. “But David said, ‘With somebody that size, how can I miss?’”

After Blackwell spoke and the campaign volunteers began digging into a buffet of barbeque chicken wings and potato salad, the African-American pastors who were present were called into a backroom meeting with Winburn to discuss get-out-the-vote efforts.
Howard Wilkinson

Nearly two-dozen small business owners held a Friday rally in favor of Issue 3, saying passage of the slots amendment would boost the local economy.

The proposed constitutional amendment would legalize 31,500 slot machines at the state’s seven horseracing tracks plus allow two slots-only casinos in downtown Cleveland. In addition to funneling 45 percent of slot proceeds to education and local government, the business owners said spur development and create jobs.

Jack Hanessian, general manager at River Downs in Anderson Township, said his racetrack would likely attract a restaurant and retail shops if it could add slots. He said his track has land for a possible hotel development but that was part of a longer-term plan. He said slots were needed to prop up the horseracing business in Ohio because surrounding states’ tracks are already supported by slots and use fatter purses to attract the best horses.

“We’re asking for a level playing field,” he said.

The owners of Lebanon Raceway in Warren County are considering moving to a site near Interstate 75 and adding a hotel and other amenities if the amendment passes.

Rusty Woods, sales manager at decorative concrete seller RKC Increte Systems in Columbia Tusculum, said he hoped expansion of local racetracks would spur additional retail and entertainment development in Greater Cincinnati.

“Hopefully it will lead to more construction,” he said.

Opponents have contested proponents’ rosy revenue projections as well as the potential costs of increased compulsive gamblers.
Alexander Coolidge