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ELECTION 2009

Casinos got strongest support from poorest neighborhoods

Montgomery County voters were split almost down the middle on Issue 3 this election, Nov. 3, 2009. This map shows support for Issue 3 by precinct.

ENLARGE PHOTO

This chart shows how each city and township in Montgomery County voted on Issue 3 this Nov. 3, 2009. Overwhelmingly the strongest opposition for Issue 3 was in the most affluent parts of the county and the strongest support in the poorest neighborhoods.

ENLARGE PHOTO

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By Jim DeBrosse and Ken McCall
Staff Writers Updated 1:57 PM Saturday, November 7, 2009

Voters in Montgomery County split almost dead-even on Issue 3, with the strongest opposition in the most affluent parts of the county and the strongest support in the poorest neighborhoods, a Dayton Daily News analysis shows.

Oakwood led the opposition, with more than 70 percent voting no. Washington Twp. and Centerville were next with around 60 percent.

At the other end of the spectrum, voters in Moraine, Jefferson Twp., Trotwood, Dayton and Harrison Twp. all supported the casino issue with more than 55 percent of the vote.

The issue failed by two-tenths of a percent in Montgomery County, but passed statewide 53-47 percent.

Rob Walgate, vice president of the Ohio Roundtable, a conservative public policy think tank opposed to the issue, said studies “constantly show us that the people who can least afford to gamble are the ones who gamble most.”

But Bob Tenenbaum, spokesman for the Issue 3 campaign, said it would be a mistake to conclude that people who voted for the measure want to gamble.

Tenenbaum said the campaign’s appeal was built around jobs and economic development.

“Lower income people are the ones most impacted by the economic downturn,” he said.

The issue also had strong labor support and was backed by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People chapters in Cleveland, Toledo, Columbus and Cincinnati, where the casinos will be built.

“I think that may have had an impact on minority voters,” Tenenbaum said.

Nowhere in Montgomery County was support stronger than in precinct Dayton 5-D, a part of the South Dayton View neighborhood just north of Wolf Creek and west of Broadway. More than 77 percent of the 129 precinct voters said yes. The streets in Dayton 5-D are littered with many boarded-up, vacant and abandoned houses and apartment buildings. But many residents, like George Whitfield, still take pride in their homes.

Whitfield said he voted for Issue 3 because of the promise of jobs, not because he would frequent the casinos.

“There’s going to be a lot of jobs, though maybe not as many as people say there will be,” Whitfield said. “Everything is moving out of the city of Dayton. Over here (his neighborhood) there are a lot of people out of work.”

Randy Morris, who lives on Riverview Avenue, also said he voted for Issue 3 because he’s unemployed.

“As soon as they figure out where the casinos are going in, I’m going to put in for a job,” said Morris, 53. “I’m too old to work at McDonald’s.”

But in the southern part of the county, the promise of jobs rang hollow.

Karl Rigg, a 79-year-old retired electronics engineer who lives in Bethany Village, voted against Issue 3 because he doubts it will bring many jobs here.

Instead, he believes the casinos will only make life worse for the poor.

“There’s a lot of arithmetic to it that most people don’t understand,” Rigg said. “They cannot win. It’s a business in which it’s legal to rob money from people.”

The vast majority of his fellow Bethany Village neighbors agreed.

The precinct that makes up the sprawling campus of senior housing, assisted living and nursing home facilities — Centerville-W —posted the strongest opposition in the county, voting 4-1 against the issue. Of the 284 votes cast, 227 were against.

Rigg and his wife Joan are familiar with casinos on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi, where they used to live. They aren’t nostalgic.

“When they came in, boy, did it change down there,” Rigg said. “One thing, the quantity of pawn shops went through the roof. It’s people running out of the little money they have, and running over there and selling anything they can get hold of, and going back to the casino and trying again.”

Joan Rigg said watching the damage first-hand was sobering.

“At home, the Mafia is in there big-time,” she said. “Robbery, prostitution. The towns had to strengthen their police force.”

In addition, she said, “a lot of good restaurants went out of business” because the casinos offer steep food discounts to keep people from leaving.

Oakwood resident Kathy Murphy said she was “horror-struck” that the issue passed.

“I think it’s horrendous,” Murphy said Friday as she walked her dogs near the Oakwood Community Center. “People put their money in the wrong place. The odds of their winning money are much less than... if they put it elsewhere.”

Oakwood residents Anne and Doug Almoney also voted against Issue 3, but for different reasons. They don’t agree with putting the deal in the state constitution and they don’t believe the promise of 34,000 jobs.

“I think they were inflating the numbers,” Anne said. “Not that we’re so against casinos. We just don’t like the way they went about it.”

Doug said the issue guaranteed that Dayton wouldn’t benefit.

“We always thought the Arcade would be an excellent place for a casino,” he said, “and it would bring restaurants downtown.”

Contact this reporter at  (937) 225-2393 or kmccall@ DaytonDailyNews.com.

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Obamasavesamerica,
You're preaching Eliminationism, which is dangerous to any free society. Kicking people out because of generalized stereotyping is grossly unfair, unjust, and morally wrong. Are you xenophobic? Maybe you need diversity training. Obama is much more pragmatic you realize, as he would like nothing more then to change the culture of the inner cities. Obama's more about personal responsibility and accountability, then he is handouts. Stop listening to Beck and the druggie.

Jim
12:20 AM, 11/8/2009

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The poor don't work, don't own anything, have their hands out for freebies and they vote. They don't deserve a vote, but they get to anyway. They elected Obama and Pelosi and they will ruin our country. Kick the labor unions and the poor out along with the demoRats.

ObamawrecksAmerica
11:42 PM, 11/7/2009

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To everyone blogging and whining about the problems of the area, if all of you know so much quit blogging and do something more constructive besides sitting on your obese ****es and acting like you know so much,,, LOOSERS!!!! escpecially the crybaby painful truth, you probably had everything handed to you from mommy and daddy!!

Grypie
10:40 PM, 11/7/2009

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For all of you who voted for casinos, I hate to be the one to tell you but, it WILL NOT IMPROVE THE ECONOMY! I know 34000 jobs, not true more like 5500 jobs, not $40k a year more like $26k. It is going to be Ohioans paying the taxes not "tourists". Why pass through 40 other states (that have casino gambling) to come to Ohio to gamble? If you want proof that the economy will NOT improve, look back at the pro lottery crowd, "this will solve all our school funding problems."

Craig
10:28 PM, 11/7/2009

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Painful truth. Quit whining!! "I went to school and work and pay taxes for bums" Trust me stop going to Walmart. Buy an American made car. Work harder to find American made products. You will probably find yourself as part of the problem.

Your taxes are not your financial problem; neither are the poor. Admit it, you put yourself in debt. That is why you are so smart and well educated.

jessie
10:23 PM, 11/7/2009

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