{"id":2359,"date":"2025-05-21T16:21:39","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T20:21:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/ohio\/?post_type=act&p=2359"},"modified":"2025-11-20T19:00:22","modified_gmt":"2025-11-21T00:00:22","slug":"tell-your-legislators-and-gov-dewine-that-you-dont-want-to-pay-for-the-new-browns-stadium","status":"publish","type":"act","link":"https:\/\/www.commoncause.org\/ohio\/actions\/tell-your-legislators-and-gov-dewine-that-you-dont-want-to-pay-for-the-new-browns-stadium\/","title":{"rendered":"Tell your legislators and Gov. DeWine that you don\u2019t want to pay for the new Browns Stadium!"},"template":"","class_list":["post-2359","act","type-act","status-publish","hentry","act_type-letter-campaign"],"acf":{"details":{"summary":"","featured_image":"","act_type":199,"location":38,"related_issues":false,"related_work":false,"button_text":"","secondary_link":"","hero_cta_type":"none","hero_cta":null,"hero_cta_text":"","start_date_time":"","end_date_time":""},"page_layout":[{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_add_component","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_add_component":null},{"acf_fc_layout":"layout_work","_acfe_flexible_toggle":"","component_work":{"heading":"Work","manually_curate":false,"work":null}}],"platform":"action_network","platform_id":"action_network:7c1bbaa3-6dcf-4bb7-b2d4-a5d6df67858b","tm_actions_platform":{"event_type":"advocacy_campaigns","platform_url":"","summary":"","description":"

In April, the Ohio House approved a state operating budget that includes a $600M bond to support a new Cleveland Browns stadium in Brook Park, a suburb of Cleveland. The bond will cost taxpayers $1 billion over 30 years<\/a> \u2013 all to support the Cleveland Browns, a privately owned, for-profit business that is owned by the wealthy Haslam Sports Group. (Jimmy Haslam\u2019s personal net worth is $8.5 billion,<\/a> and the Haslam family's worth overall is $14.4 billion.) <\/p>

This enormous subsidy of the very wealthy feels like the House Bill 6\/FirstEnergy bailout bill all over again! Why should Ohio tax payers hold the bag for a bunch of billionaires with a failing enterprise? <\/p>

Perhaps the answer has something to do with the money the Haslams have given to Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman: Between Jan. 1, 2024 and March 24, 2025, Huffman received $60,999 from Jimmy and Dee Haslam<\/a>. Additionally, Jimmy and Dee Haslam jointly contributed $100,000 to the campaign opposing the Citizens Not Politicians\/Issue 1 last year<\/a>. <\/p>

Ohio has seen this kind of pay-to-play before. Tax payers and rate payers end up holding the bag when politicians accept money from people and entities with something to gain. <\/p>

Propping up a stadium owned by a billionaire means that Ohio can\u2019t spend on other important priorities. The bonds will be an ongoing resource drain interfering with other spending on essential services and other taxpayer priorities. <\/p>

Ohio House Speaker Matt Huffman said the state can\u2019t afford to fully fund public education<\/a> and cut the Fair School Funding Plan by two-thirds. But, with persuasion, he thinks we have a spare $600 million to subsidize a private stadium.  <\/p>

Ohio\u2019s Legislative Service Commission released a report<\/a> that found Jimmy Haslam's claims of economic benefit to taxpayers to be \u201coverly optimistic.\u201d Additionally, the stadium\u2019s construction will amount to a roughly $10-11 million loss in tax revenue for the City of Cleveland.<\/p>

Tell your legislators and Gov. DeWine that you don\u2019t want to pay for the new Browns Stadium! <\/strong><\/p>

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