Christian groups led fight on slots
By JULIE CARR SMYTH The Associated PressCOLUMBUS - It is not a registered nonprofit, though it bears a nonprofit's Web identity. It has no board of directors, no campaign finance filing history, and no paperwork on file with the IRS or the Federal Elections Commission.
So who is LetOhioVote.org, the mysterious group that filed a lawsuit and successfully challenged Gov. Ted Strickland's plan to expand gambling in Ohio?
Records reviewed by The Associated Press show that mostly conservative Christian groups signed on to the lawsuit over Strickland's plan to put lottery-run slots at seven Ohio horse racing tracks. Strickland wanted the revenue to plug an $850 million budget hole.
But the Ohio Supreme Court sidelined the plan when it said opponents can try to put the measure to a popular vote.
LetOhioVote.org has until Dec. 18 to collect signatures for a May referendum on the slots proposal.
On paper, just three people make up LetOhioVote.org: David Han-sen, former president of The Buckeye Institute, a conservative public policy thinktank; Tom Brink-man, a former Republican state lawmaker from Cincinnati; and Gene Pierce, a communications consultant.
Pierce, the group's treasurer, worked for Ken Blackwell, a Republican and former secretary of state who faced Strickland in the 2006 gubernatorial race.
There are other hints of Blackwell around the group.
Carlo LoParo, formerly Blackwell's trusted spokesman, is doing public relations for LetOhioVote.org, and Norman Cummings, a longtime Blackwell political adviser, registered the group's Web site, according to registration records.
Blackwell also has a long association with the Buckeye Institute, where Hansen formerly worked.
David Langdon, LetOhioVote.org's first lawyer, has provided regular legal counsel to Blackwell on such issues as his effort to cap state spending in 2006.
Both LoParo and Pierce insisted that Blackwell has no role in the group.
But Blackwell and many of the conservative political organizations fighting the slots proposal share a political philosophy and swing in the same circles.
Few are specifically anti-gambling. Their causes, records show, include promoting abstinence-only education, fighting abortion and pornography, and spreading Christian values.
Among other conservative groups that signed onto LetOhioVote.org's slots lawsuit were: Cincinnati-based Citizens for Community Values, Family First PAC, the conservative Eagle Forum and the Ohio arms of the National Government Prayer Alliance, the National Christian Schools Association and the Constitution Party.
R. Edgar Bonniwell, director of the Church Coalition for Decency, a lawsuit participant, is a member, like Blackwell, of the Arlington Group. The elite group began meeting periodically in Washington during the Bush administration to help set a national conservative agenda.
Philip Burress, who leads Citizens for Community Values, is also part of the Arlington Group.
Besides anti-feminist Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum, however, none of the groups has deep enough pockets to underwrite the $2.5 million that LetOhioVote.org needs to gather signatures and mount its referendum campaign, not to mention the cost of legal services.
Schlafly's group has about $5.5 million on hand, nonprofit filings show. All the other groups combined have only about $750,000 on hand, according to calculations by the AP off the entities' most recent business and tax filings. Two of the groups were in the red the last time they reported to the government.
The question of who's paying also perplexed lawyers for the state, who asked the high court to let them probe into LetOhioVote.org's finances in discovery. All the justices but one said no.
In his dissent, Justice Paul Pfeifer chastised fellow justices for denying the state the chance to identify the effort's benefactors. (One affidavit submitted by the state, then rejected, suggested gambling giant Penn National had promised to pay for the signature gathering. Penn, which backed a successful casino issue in Ohio this fall, has denied the accusation.)
''If this state is to become a gambling center, we should look with caution at Nevada's long history of lack of transparency in the identity of the true parties behind the development of the gambling industry,'' Pfeifer wrote. ''We should determine that from the outset, the truth will be told in Ohio.''
LoParo said Arno Political Consultants has been hired to collect signatures, which must be turned in by Dec. 18 to stop slots from going forward.
Arno has a history with Citizens for Community Values. CCV paid the group nearly $260,000 in 2006 and 2007 for ballot issue help, records show.
Pierce said LetOhioVote.org will report its income and spending at the appropriate time.
''The lawyers are lawyers and they'll make sure we follow all the laws,'' he said.
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Pitten
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11-30-09 7:30 PM
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For all those that voted "yes" for gambling in Ohio, Please tell me what good they did for Michigan? seems like the people from Michigan lost alot of $$$ there in that state wants to make thier lost $$$ here in this state. Casino's are doing Nothing for the state of Michigan. please tell me we have more sense then the people in the North!!
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XANADU440
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11-30-09 6:19 PM
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TAX THE CHURCHES TOOOOO
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bruISback
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11-30-09 6:02 PM
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bingo
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gardiner01
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11-30-09 10:41 AM
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The story is relevant, djg44484, because there are people here who want to be educated on matters concerning the state. Shall we ignore all that happens outside the city limits of Warren?
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jlsell
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11-30-09 10:26 AM
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If the Christian groups are ANTI -GAMBLING, w/o a suggestion for a viable answer to our funding crunch, than I say take their tax exempt status AND tell them no more gambling in the churchs to raise funds either!!!!! Lets put that to a vote!!!
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djg44484
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11-30-09 8:15 AM
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The story sounds like a who's who in conservative politics. I don't understand why this story is even relevant to Warren. Where are our racetracks? Where are our slots? Where are our conservatives? Why is this story front page on the Trib site? Slow news day Sunday I guess?
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SURV69
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11-30-09 7:46 AM
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I'm completely anti-gambling, but these "christian" groups have the pulpits(where most churches actually agree with "some" gambling for a good(their)cause) and now they had the vote. Maybe . . . just maybe, the citizens of Ohio don't appreciate the church's half-stand on gambling in Ohio and accepted that if gambling's okay for churches, then it should be okay for them too. I hate churches' hypocritical concepts.
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DrSpankit
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11-30-09 6:45 AM
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These groups are not Christian per the Christian bible teachings....They are Zealots,attempting to bully public opinion by using their quasi Christianity...'Jesus does not mind a good dice game...He just wants those running the game, 'to pay their fair shake of the pot and for all the corners to be even.'..Zealots and fanatics have a tough time with playing fair.
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jackson5
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11-30-09 6:42 AM
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Flash how can you be so sure that this money is comming from the 'slush fund' of various churches? The vast majority of churches do not hav ethe type of funds you mention, moreover it would be a violation of their tax exempt status if the 'church' did give monies to support PACs. There is a difference between church money going somewhere and the money of folk affiliated with churches going to support something.
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FlashGordon
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11-30-09 6:30 AM
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I have the solution here, if the churches want to prevent gambling which would produce taxes paid to the state and local levels, then we need to remove the tax exempt status from all churches. It's about time they start paying their fair share. Seems they have enough money sitting in slush funds to support these conservative groups then they have enough money to start paying taxes. Let's put it to a vote!
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FlyingWedge
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11-30-09 6:09 AM
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Why deny anyone the opportunity to gamble if they want to? If you don't wish to play games of chance fine, but don't stand in the way of others who do not share your beliefs.
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OldManGrump2
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11-30-09 5:51 AM
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I suspect we'll be voting in November 2010 on another gambling amendment to eliminate it. The Christian groups are right that Ohio doesn't need gambling of any form. I just hope we get the chance to say NO again.
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bruISback
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11-30-09 5:20 AM
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if you a 501c3 bob
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