Ohio Supreme Court Rules Petitions Must Be Accepted

The Ohio Supreme Court Thursday ruled that Cleveland must accept petitions to put the financing of renovations to Quicken Loans Arena before voters.  The clerk of City Council originally refused to accept the petitions on the grounds that they “would unconstitutionally impair an already existing and binding contract.”

Subodh Chandra represents the petitioners and calls the court’s decision a “clean victory for democracy in the city of Cleveland.”

“And the rule of law has prevailed,” Chandra said. “Democracy has prevailed, and now the voters of the city of Cleveland will decide whether the Q arena deal will go forward or not.”

This past spring, council approved a plan to help finance the Q renovation with admissions tax dollars amounting to about $88 million over eleven years.

In a written statement, Mayor Frank Jackson who supports the Q financing deal said, "I respect the process and accept the outcome."