COLUMBUS, Ohio — The United Methodist Church announced Oct. 1 that it was organizing a campaign to fight Issue 3, a proposal that would allow four casinos to be built in Ohio.
“It is a very flawed constitutional amendment that will bring harm to the citizens of the state of Ohio and will not bring the economic development that they claim,” said Pastor Deanna Stickley-Miner of the West Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church.
Stickley-Miner said that among all religious voting blocs, the Methodist church has the highest percentage of registered voters in Ohio. She said organizers of the effort will place 10,000 signs in the yards of church members and places of worship and launch an e-mail campaign that they believe will produce a million votes against Issue 3. At a news conference, Methodist Bishop Bruce Ough called casinos predatory and a threat to Ohio families, and he said they won’t help the state recover from its economic troubles. The church group also questioned whether the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police — which has long opposed gambling initiatives — switched its position because it has been promised money.
Share with others: