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Kasich’s plan is taxing nerves of some Governor’s latest proposal is criticized by leaders who would prefer spending cuts By JAY MILLER jmiller@crain.com
Gov. John Kasich’s latest proposal to ratchet down Ohio’s personal income tax is being questioned by key groups in business and conservative quarters, which would prefer to see the governor pair those cuts with reductions in spending rather
than offset the lost income tax revenue with hikes in other taxes. They also note that Kasich is spending more on state government than his predecessor, instead of reducing its size to make it more efficient, as he suggested he would do during his 2010 campaign for governor. “We love the idea of reducing the
state income tax,” said Greg Lawson, statehouse liaison and policy analyst for the conservative Buckeye Institute. “It’s the right move, but we need to get to cutting government spending.” Some teas partiers also are nipping at the governor’s heels. Tom Zawistowski, executive director of the Portage County Tea Party, com-
plained that the governor isn’t cutting taxes broadly as his group would like. “When you look at the total body of work of Gov. Kasich, it looks to us like he’s just shifting the burden elsewhere,” said Zawistowski, who last year ran unsuccessfully for chairman of the Ohio Republican Party. “Our problem is the governor is
trying to be the one picking winners and losers,” Zawistowski said. “That’s just not right.” The Kasich administration is undeterred by the criticism. “We’ve said all along that we believe the biggest hindrance to job creation in the state is the personal income tax,” said Kasich spokesman Rob Nichols. “We will continue to look for ways to drive that down and make Ohio more competitive.” See TAXING Page 7
Northfield Rocksino believes it’s perfectly positioned to attract biz in crowded market By TIMOTHY MAGAW tmagaw@crain.com
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ROCKIN’ THE SUBURBS CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Huey Lewis and the News drew a sold-out crowd to the Hard Rock Rocksino in Northfield on Jan. 24.
hile many Clevelandarea concert venues are hitching their stars to the city’s rebounding urban core, Jon Lucas of Hard Rock Rocksino in Northfield believes his ticket to success is being almost 20 miles southeast of downtown. “There’s still some resistance to going down- Lucas town. … This enables us to attract from both markets,” said Lucas, president of Rocksino, which sits squarely between the Cleveland and Akron markets. “That to me is important. It has to be a really knockout act for an Akron customer to drive all the way downtown.” And so far, Lucas — a 30-year veteran of the casino business — appears to be right.
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ONE OF A KIND The Browns’ setup under former CEO Joe Banner might have been the NFL’s most unique ■ Page 5
Entire contents © 2014 by Crain Communications Inc. Vol. 35, No. 11