PX column: 4 Cincinnati-related takeaways from the state's support for Columbus Crew

Down here on the Isle of Cincinnati, it's our nature to feel like Columbus views us as a bunch of peasants.

Some Cincinnatians believe they got the Columbus cold shoulder again this week, when state lawmakers gave the capital city's pro soccer team way more money to build a new stadium than they gave Cincinnati's soccer club earlier this year.

But did a Central Ohio bias really factor into the House's decision on Wednesday to give the Columbus Crew $11 million more than it gave FC Cincinnati?

Let's move on from the knee-jerk, we-got-hosed reaction and look at four takeaways from the Statehouse's support for the Crew:

Cincinnati shouldn't feel slighted.

The Crew absolutely has to have a new downtown stadium to remain in Columbus. The $15 million that the House approved in the lame-duck session was an amount worked out between the state, city, Franklin County and Crew investors in order to meet Major League Soccer's Dec. 31 stadium funding deadline, according to the Columbus Dispatch. Rep. Mike Duffey, a suburban Columbus Republican, told the Dispatch that the Crew originally asked for more money. (It still has to pass the Senate.) 

Columbus doesn't have the NFL or Major League Baseball, and the Crew is one of MLS' original franchises. Cincinnati and Cleveland received tens of millions in state funding to help cover costs for their NFL and baseball stadiums. Maybe it was just Columbus' turn at the taxpayer trough.

Meanwhile, FC Cincinnati received $4 million from the state's capital budget. The club didn't get $15 million because, well, it didn't ask for that much. FC Cincinnati originally asked for $10 million ahead of receiving its MLS bid last spring. Frankly, the legislature might have done FC Cincinnati a favor in March. The club was mired in a PR mess at the time, scrambling around at the last minute to get stadium money.

Crew vote could actually be a good sign for FC Cincinnati.

Most state money for stadiums and building projects comes out of the capital budget. Those funds are only distributed in even-numbered years. But state lawmakers "found" the Crew's $15 million in the annual operating budget.

This could give FC Cincinnati hope for receiving additional state money next year, instead of having to wait for the next capital budget in 2020. The club still has some time to pursue more money for its $200 million West End stadium. FC Cincinnati plans to break ground next week, and the stadium isn't expected to be done until 2021.

Cranley praised Crew deal as a favor.

Green Township Republican Bill Seitz on Wednesday read an email from Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley on the House floor. The Democrat wrote to support the Crew receiving state money. It seemed odd for Cranley to weigh in on a Columbus-centric deal.

But Cranley told Politics Extra he wrote the email at the request of Columbus Mayor Andy Ginther. They're on the Ohio Mayors Alliance executive committee. "We support each other," Cranley said.

Ginther is up for re-election in 2019, and losing the Crew wouldn't bode well for the Democrat's campaign.

The I-71 divide might be shrinking.

The Statehouse – and the Columbus-focused political bubble around it – for decades thumbed its nose at Greater Cincinnati. Lawmakers are always going to show some favoritism to Columbus, simply because it's the center of state government. But there is reason to be optimistic that Cincinnati-Statehouse relations are getting better.

This year, the legislature essentially gave the same amount of capital budget money to Hamilton County ($19.5 million) and Franklin County ($19.6 million). The Cincinnati Business Committee has played a key role in helping to balance that out, leading a united effort to vet and prioritize the region's projects to present to state lawmakers.

Moreover, Gov. John Kasich is heading out the door after eight years in office. The Central Ohioan was about helping Central Ohio. His only significant accomplishment in Cincinnati was fast-tracking the MLK interchange project. Otherwise, Kasich made a lot of people mad for his ongoing criticism of Northern Kentucky leaders' for holding up the Brent Spence Bridge project.

Cincinnati business leaders are optimistic Gov.-elect Mike DeWine will be more of a champion for the region. DeWine, who lives in nearby Greene County, has strong ties to Cincinnati. His son, Ohio Supreme Court Justice Pat DeWine, is a former Cincinnati city councilman and Hamilton County commissioner. Mike DeWine is a longtime Reds season-ticket holder, and some of his top donors and political operatives are here.

"He has people in Southwest Ohio who have been good friends to him for a long time," said Doug Moormann, vice president of Downtown-based Development Strategies Group and a former DeWine staffer. "Whether it’s seeking policy advice or opportunities for state funding, hopefully his familiarity with people here will help him gravitate toward Cincinnati."

Listen to Enquirer political columnist Jason Williams' weekly podcast, "That's So Cincinnati." Twitter: @jwilliamscincy. Email: jwilliams@enquirer.com