A recent survey reveals that more than two-thirds of Ohio residents are opposed to the state's eminent domain law, and would be in favor of throwing it out.
"The backlash against eminent domain is so great that two-thirds of Ohio voters would ban the government taking of private property, even for public projects such as roads."
"'Rarely do we see numbers this lopsided,' said Peter Brown, assistant director of the Polling Institute at the Hamden, Conn. university, which conducts independent state-level polls in swing states. 'Voters just do not like eminent domain.'"
"With numbers like that, it may be tempting to throw out Ohio's eminent-domain law entirely."
"But so many functions of government - like roads, sewers, schools, parks - rely on eminent domain that there's been no serious proposal to abolish it."
"State Sen. Timothy J. Grendell, R-Chesterland, said his bill tries to curtail government abuses of eminent domain while still leaving intact the principle that government can take property for public use 'as a tool of last resort.'"
