Cool Cleveland issues recommendations

YES on Issue 2. Voting YES on Issue 2 will raise the minimum wage in Ohio by an amendment to the state constitution, and peg it to the rising Consumer Price Index. With poverty a major concern in NEO Ohio and the state, with the minimum wage at a 50-year low, with 700K Ohioans standing to benefit, it's difficult to vote against Issue 2. We don't like that it changes the Ohio Constitution, increases paperwork, and opens some privacy concerns, but these measures are only recommended because the lax Ohio legislature has not acted in the best interests of its lowest wage earners. http://RaiseTheWage.org

NO on Issue 3. Another Ohio Constitutional amendment, this one only benefiting nine families in the state: those who already own racetracks, plus Jeff Jacobs and Forest City. They are the only people who would be allowed to install 31,500 slot machines, as a first step towards full-fledged casinos. As strong supporters of NEO's economic development, Cool Cleveland is inclined to support efforts to compete with neighboring states such as Michigan and West Virginia (and soon Pennsylvania), which currently suck hundreds of millions from Ohio gamblers. But rather than offer a master plan for tourism and mixed-use development spurred by gaming, this troubled initiative is sold as our latest silver bullet, creating a permanent private monopoly for the handful of business interests who put up the huge $20 million campaign funds, which is why you've been inundated with "Learn and Earn" advertising. Disingenuous from the start, neither signature collectors nor the ads mention gambling, only grants for the Top 5% of Ohio students to attend college. Critics contend that those grants have huge loopholes and no guarantees they would be instituted as promised. Passage would create an estimated 109K new gambling addicts. They didn't charge enough for the gambling licenses, worth over $100m a year in profits. And why are these gambling profits exempt from the new state Commercial Activity Tax? http://www.VoteNoCasinos.com

NO on Issue 4. Another Constitutional amendment (knock it off already!), this one created by the tobacco industry to counteract Issue 5. In fact, if Issue 4 passes, permanently allowing smoking in a wide range of public places (bars, restaurants, hotels, nursing homes...), it would nullify Issue 5, even if 5 passes. Passage of Issue 4, known by their big-budget ads as "Smoke Less Ohio" would also overturn smoke-free laws in 21 Ohio cities, and make it unconstitutional for lawmakers to enact future clean indoor air laws. http://www.SmokeFreeOhio.org

YES on Issue 5. Not a constitutional amendment (yeah!) that would effectively bring Ohio into the 21st Century by eliminating smoking in all restaurants, public places and workplaces. Major areas such as NYC have gone smoke free with no negative economic effects. Listen to the American Cancer Society, American Heart Assn, the American Lung Assn, and your own common sense, and help pass this issue. You inhale the equivalent of 1.5 cigs just sitting in a non-smoking section for 2 hours. Smokers would still be able to light up in private residences, vehicles and outdoors. http://www.SmokeFreeOhio.org

YES on Issue 18. For Cuyahoga County only, a $.30 per pack tax on cigarettes that would raise over $20 million a year for 10 years, going straight to Cuyahoga County's deserving non-profit arts and cultural organizations. A rigorous panel-based process was meticulously instituted to insure that smaller organizations get a much larger share of their budget than the big boys, a process that has been effectively used by the County's ACE (Arts and Culture for Economic Development) grants over the past 2 years. With the recent demise of the Ohio Ballet, and dozens of cultural orgs in debt, this measure would ensure security for the $1.3 billion arts sector of our regional economy that showcases Cleveland and its suburbs in the best light, strengthening our tourism and hospitality industries, and providing arts education for thousands of public school kids. http://www.CoolCleveland.com/artslevy, http://www.Issue18.org

YES on Issue 19. For Cuyahoga County only, a replacement of a portion of an existing levy, actually reducing slightly the overall tax, to benefit the General Fund Appropriations for Health and Human or Social Services for 4 years. This is the County's critical "safety net" that 200K citizens a month rely on: funding for Metro General Hospital, support for seniors home health care & independent living, foster care for abused & neglected children, health care for 50K newborns & toddlers, treatment for emotionally disturbed youth. http://www.Issue19.org