CLEVELAND, Oct. 28 - Developers of the four casinos that would be authorized by passage of State Issue 3 pledged today that at least 90 percent of all jobs in the casinos will go to residents of the cities and their surrounding metropolitan areas, and that the casinos' workforces would reflect the diversity of the communities.
Dan Gilbert, whose Rock Ventures partnership will develop the Cleveland and Cincinnati casinos, personally gave Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson a letter with the hiring pledge at a "Vote Yes on Issue 3" rally today in Cleveland.
Similar letters are being prepared for the mayors of Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo by Rock Ventures and by Penn National Gaming, which would develop the Columbus and Toledo casinos.
"I am writing to provide you with assurance that, as developers of the casino that would be authorized under State Issue 3, we will make hiring of local residents to work in the casino our highest priority," the letter says.
"To that end, we commit to you that a minimum of 90 percent of employees hired to fill the permanent casino jobs will be residents of the city and its surrounding MSA.
"A significant part of our proposal is the job creation our development will bring to the communities that will host the casinos," the letter reads. "Maximizing that benefit relies heavily on the recruitment and hiring of local residents. We will also endeavor to make certain that our workforce reflects the diversity of the community."
At the rally, Gilbert told a crowd of 300 supporters at a downtown union hall that, "In America we build things. It all starts with us building stuff that creates long-term jobs and that's what we will do with the casinos."
Mayor Jackson said anyone who supports jobs in turn supports Issue 3.
"It will mean hundreds of millions of dollars invested in Cleveland. It's what we need to take care of our cities and our families. My support is about the construction jobs and the permanent jobs. This will help Cleveland become the center of activity in northeast Ohio," he said.
Steve Loomis, president of the Cleveland Police Patrolmen's Association, dismissed the myths about rising crime rates once a casino is built.
"We went to Detroit and talked to the cops on the street and we went to West Virginia. Crime does not go up. Don't believe the lies they're telling you," he said.
Terry Joyce, president of the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades Council, told the crowd, "We haven't seen organized labor behind a casino issue like this one. This campaign will be won in this next week and Issue 3 will pass."
Similar rallies are planned for Columbus on Wednesday and Cincinnati on Thursday.
The Ohio Jobs and Growth Plan is a proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution that authorizes one first-class casino in each of the state's four largest cities (Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo). The plan will generate $11 billion in economic impact during construction and the first five years of casino operations. It will create 34,000 new jobs for Ohioans, and will provide an estimated $651 million in tax revenues each year, with the vast majority of the money designated for all of the state's counties, its major cities and every public school district in the state. Annual tax revenues are projected to increase to $772 million by 2017.
Primary backers of the proposal are:
-- Penn National Gaming, Inc., a prominent operator of gaming facilities
and horse racing tracks, including Raceway Park in Toledo; and
-- Dan Gilbert, through his Rock Ventures partnership. Gilbert is
majority owner of the NBA Cleveland Cavaliers and operator of Quicken
Loans Arena in downtown Cleveland, Cleveland Clinic Courts, the Lake
Erie Monsters, Veritix and Fathead, as well as Chairman and Founder of
Quicken Loans, which operates a 350-person Internet web center in
downtown Cleveland. Gilbert, who began investing in Ohio in 2005,
employs more than 2,500 people throughout the state.
Pd. for by Ohio Jobs and Growth Committee, Bill Curlis, Treasurer, 865 Macon Alley, Columbus OH 43206
CONTACT: Bob Tenenbaum, +1-614-573-1377,
btenenbaum@themilenthalgroup.com, for Ohio Jobs and Growth Plan
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