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Both sides of raging argument over public money for Browns dome: I-Team

Both sides of raging argument over public money for Browns dome: I-Team

Yahoo13-06-2025

CLEVELAND (WJW) – The FOX 8 I-Team did some digging into the firestorm around $600 million in public money going to the owners of the Cleveland Browns to help build a dome.
It has become almost a guarantee that state lawmakers will approve the money to help the Browns build a dome and development around it in Brook Park.
Some state and local leaders are piling on, trying to stop any money for the Browns. They're arguing the state needs more money for things like education.
'We say to the owners, 'look, you want to build it? Build it yourself,'' Cuyahoga County Executive Chris Ronayne told us in the last week.
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'I have a big problem with rewarding a billionaire family with a $600 million performance grant,' state Senator Casey Weinstein said.
'What we talked about is giving billionaires money from Ohioans that they, quite frankly, don't need,' state Senator Nickie Antonio added.
But on Wednesday, Ohio Senate Finance Chairman Jerry Cirino fired back.
'Let's be careful about disparaging billionaires or highly successful people. They are an important part of our economy. They pay most of the taxes,' he said.
'Easy way for naysayers to say, 'Why should we give money to billionaires?'' Browns owner Jimmy Haslam told the I-Team in April.
Haslam reminded everyone that his company is investing more than $1 billion in the dome complex.
'That'll be the fourth or fifth largest project ever done in Ohio. Period. And the largest in Northeast Ohio,' he added.
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Lawmakers now have come down to the final weeks for deciding on one of three plans to help fund a dome for the Browns. The public money would be paid back.
Meanwhile, the state Senate president took on another common complaint about lawmakers simply giving in to political influence.
'What's your response to that?' we asked state Senate Rob McColley.
'We haven't been influenced by the Haslams. We do this for economic development projects of this size all the time,' he answered. 'This is a good investment for Ohio. It's one that's going to bring in more money to the general fund for other priorities in the state.'
The Browns keep moving closer to getting state money and the voices for and against keep growing louder.
State lawmakers will be taking a final vote on the budget by the end of the month.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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