COLUMBUS - Yesterday the group pushing the weaker of two proposed smoking bans added to its filing with the secretary of state's office, but the additional information shed little light on where its money is coming from.
Jacob Evans, spokesman for Smoke Less Ohio, said a transmission error resulted in missing pages in the mandated report it filed on Monday. The organization backed away from its contention on Tuesday that Ohio law didn't mandate disclosure of who provided $1.5 million for the circulation of petitions to put its question on the Nov. 7 ballot.
The updated filing, however, attributes the entire $1.5 million in in-kind contributions to one nonprofit organization, Smoke Less Ohio Inc., established in April.
Ohio law allows corporations to contribute to ballot issues. While corporations are not required under Ohio law to disclose where they got their money, Mr. Evans said yesterday the "vast majority" came from one tobacco company, North Carolina-based R.J. Reynolds.
"This makes a mockery of campaign-finance reporting," said Tracy Sabetta, spokesman for SmokeFreeOhio, the coalition of health organizations pushing a much stricter ban on smoking in nearly all indoor public places.
In its own filing, SmokeFree-Ohio revealed its effort has been financed almost exclusively by the American Cancer Society. The nonprofit organization fronted 98 percent of the $266,659 in cash and in-kind contributions used to gather signatures.Smoke Less Ohio's ban would exempt bars, restaurants with separate enclosed smoking areas, bowling alleys, and private clubs.
As a constitutional amendment, it would prevail over SmokeFreeOhio's initiated statute and overturn smoking bans already enacted by Toledo, Bowling Green, and 19 other cities.
Search
advertisement
