Strickland Wants Around-The-Clock Budget Work

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Gov. Ted Strickland lashed out at Republican state senators Monday, accusing them of dragging out budget negotiations for partisan gain and shirking their responsibilities as elected officials while collecting state paychecks and health care.

The ongoing budget impasse reached a new level of rancor as Strickland, a Democrat, said Republicans were maintaining a "deafening silence" in response to his plan to expand gambling. The governor said he was disturbed by what he viewed as the Senate's "casual" attitude, and that he'd bring pizza and pillows to the Statehouse, if need be, because lawmakers should be working around the clock until a deal is reached.

The Senate planned to vote Monday on a second seven-day budget, which Strickland said he would sign reluctantly. But the governor said he would have "serious concerns" about signing a third because the state is losing more money with each temporary fix.

"I am increasingly concerned that the Senate majority caucus has been hijacked by a few highly political senators who are holding the state hostage in order to achieve political advantage," Strickland said Monday. "The issue is not whether or not I am being politically hurt. The issue is the fact that the people of Ohio - the people - are being hurt. It is disgusting to me that they would play games with Ohio's future when Ohioans desperately need real leadership."

When pressed for specifics, Strickland declined to name individual senators but said the Senate's decision to hold hearings on his proposal to put slot machines at Ohio's seven race tracks was nothing but a political gimmick. Strickland again said that the Senate has criticized his plan while refusing to put forth an alternative to raise the estimated $933 million that would come from slots.

The disagreement over gambling has stalled budget negotiations, which had otherwise made progress on big ticket items, including more than $2 billion in cuts. Senate Republicans say the governor's gambling plan has "fatal flaws" and should not be rushed to approval before major questions are answered.

One issue is a plan to allow race track owners to recover their investments on slots licenses - which would cost $65 million - if a separate plan for four casinos in Ohio is approved by voters in November. Sen. John Husted, a Republican from Kettering, said this is one of the flaws in Strickland's plan.

"We are not going to authorize what we feel are false solutions. We would like to work it out with them," Husted said. "We are not going to engage in political tantrums."

The Senate has said it wants to either put the plan to a vote of the people or that Strickland can establish the slots with his executive power. The governor has said the state can't afford to wait until November to begin collecting money, and that he needs legislative approval to put the gambling expansion on solid legal ground and attract investors.

Maggie Ostrowski, spokeswoman for Senate President Bill Harris, said the senator would be available later Monday to address the governor's comments.

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