In what shouldn't be a surprise, most of Cuyahoga County's wealthiest east side suburbs voted overwhelmingly in favor of the Sin Tax.
Issue 7's strongest opposition came from the city of Cleveland's west side wards and its blue collar suburbs to the immediate south, Newburgh Heights, Cuyahoga Heights and Linndale (where only 17 total votes were cast).
Though the race was very tight in Cleveland, a majority of voters opposed the tax extension, which will fund ongoing repairs at the three sports facilities downtown for the next twenty years.
Still, city council members vocally endorsed the sin tax, aligning themselves with the region's corporate elite instead of their own constituents.
Cleveland Magazine's Erick Trickey wrote on his politics blog yesterday that a shift has indeed descended upon City Hall and has affected the way politicians behave and govern:
"Some were pragmatic, believing the city and county had little leverage to reopen lease negotiations midway through a binding contract," Trickey wrote. "The near-unanimous support for Issue 7 among city and county officials reflects a political realignment. There aren’t many Dennis Kucinich-style leaders, ready to fight big business in Cleveland politics anymore."
Here's a link to the results by area. And here's the top ten strongholds for the Pro- and Anti- sides.
*Note: Voting numbers compiled by Christopher Lohr, a graduate research assistant at Cleveland State University's Center for Economic Development.
AREAS WITH MOST OPPOSITION
1) Newburgh Heights (65.6% NO)
2) Linndale (58.8% NO) *Note: Only 17 total votes cast
3) Cleveland - Ward 14 - Clark/Fulton, Stockyards (59.8% NO)
4) Cleveland - Ward 15 - Detroit Shoreway, Edgewater (56.1% NO)
5) Cleveland - Ward 16 - Wespark (East), Little Arabia (54.3% NO)
6) Cuyahoga Heights (54.3%NO)
7) Cleveland - Ward 12 - Slavic Village (54.0% NO)
8) Cleveland - Ward 11 - Cuddell - (53.9% NO)
9) Cleveland - Ward 8 - Collinwood, Glenville - (53.6% NO)
10) Cleveland - Ward 13 - Old Brooklyn, Kevin Kelley''s Ward - (52.8%)
AREAS WITH MOST SUPPORT
1) Chagrin Falls Township (24.2% NO)
2) Beachwood (25.6% NO)
3) Orange (26.3% NO) <
4) Pepper Pike (26.4% NO)
5) Hunting Valley (30.1% NO)
6) Shaker Heights (30.4% NO)
7) Bratenahl (32.2% NO)
8) Highland Hights (32.6% NO)
9) Bentleyville (32.9% NO)
10) Solon (33.1% NO)
