Voinovich backs county revamp in Cleveland

CLEVELAND -- Ohio Sen. George Voinovich, a veteran of Cuyahoga County government in Cleveland, has endorsed a referendum to replace its three county commissioners with a new setup.

The Republican says county government needs checks and balances that a county executive and 11-member county council would offer.

In an interview, he told Channel 3's Tom Beres that the changes are long overdue.

"The county being run the way it would be has nothing to do with being Republican or Democrat. It's about giving competent and honest people a system that would provide transparency and the possibilities of having one strong leader for the challenges of the future," Voinovich said.

Voinovich urges a "yes" vote on Issue 6 and "no" vote on Issue 5.

Issue 5 , a competing issue backed by Democratic Party leaders, would set up a county government study commission.

Issue 5 supporters called Voinovich's support for Issue 6 predictable.

Spokesman Brian Wright said Issue 6 ignores the important issue of campaign finance and would allow the executive and an elected prosecutor to collect contributions from their employees.

"We don't need the same old campaign finance abuses. We need real reform done right," Wright said.

Voinovich is a former governor, Cleveland mayor, Cuyahoga county commissioner and Cuyahoga county auditor.

The ballot questions come amid the backdrop of a wide-ranging FBI investigation of alleged Cuyahoga County government corruption.

In his interview, Senator Voinovich also discusses his opposition to Issue 3, a measure to create four casinos in Ohio.

Senator Voinovich has been a consistent opponent of gambling proposals.

He says the proposal shortchanges Ohio by offering prospective casino owners Dan Gilbert and Penn National licenses for much less money than neighborhing states received.

And he maintains the social costs of gambling would outweight any economic benefit.

Voinovich also renewed a call to Republican state legislative leaders to avoid partisan politics and work with Governor Ted Strickland to balance the state's budget.

Play the video for an extended interview with Sen. Voinovich.