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Poll: G'burg slots an 'embarrassment'
By MEG BERNHARDT
Hanover Evening Sun
November 17, 2006
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is expected to vote in just 34 days on whether to license a proposed casino near Gettysburg, and opponents to the project are citing evidence of overwhelming citizen opposition as the reason they believe the board should decide against it.
A poll released today by the Civil War Preservation Trust and two other national historic-preservation groups says 64 percent of Pennsylvania's registered voters – and 73 percent in central Pennsylvania – oppose a casino within one mile of the Gettysburg battlefield. It also said 53 percent of registered voters in Pennsylvania and 63 percent in central Pennsylvania would consider a casino near the battlefield to be an embarrassment to Pennsylvania.
With Crossroads Gaming Resort and Spa LP competing with five other applicants for one of two licenses, gaming regulators will be considering many factors, including suitability, potential economic impact, public reaction, highway access, diversity goals and plans for handling compulsive gambling, the spokesman for the board has said.
And in choosing its last shots at Crossroads before the board's vote, the opposition is relying heavily on the public-reaction factor.
G. Terry Madonna, a leading political analyst who is director of the Center for Politics & Public Affairs at Franklin & Marshall College, said the poll is intended to appeal to people who recognize Gettysburg as a shrine. He noted the poll is statewide, which could be a tactic to take a smaller local issue and turn it into a larger one.
"They're trying to get as much public awareness and influence the board as much as they can," Madonna said.
It's a common tactic to hire an independent firm to conduct polls of voter opinion to help lobby public policy, Madonna said.
The first section of the slots law touches on the board's responsibility to the public interest.
Christopher Craig, a top aide to Sen. Vince Fumo, D-Philadelphia, who played a key role in writing the slots law, described it as a clear signal that public support should be considered. It states: "The public interest of the citizens of this Commonwealth and the social effect of gaming shall be taken into consideration in any decision or order made pursuant to this part."
Crossroads has been campaigning heavily for public support in the last year. A group called Pro Casino Adams County has formed, a local Crossroads office was opened, and supportive signs have begun dotting local yards all over the county.
Crossroads spokesman David La Torre said Crossroads will not concede it's lost the battle for public favor and questioned the polling because it had "leading words." Crossroads officials have not seen a copy of the poll but were told some of the results over the phone.
"This poll covers the entire state É many of these people that were polled haven't visited Adams County and they haven't seen the outpouring of support from members of Pro Casino Adams County," La Torre said. "They haven't seen thousands of yard signs, bumper stickers, pins or window signs. They haven't seen a petition with thousands of local signatures."
He estimates there are more than 6,000 local signatures on Pro Casino petitions.
The Civil War Preservation Trust commissioned a similar poll to the one released today last October and found similar results.
"The latest statewide poll confirms what we already knew. Pennsylvanians hate the idea of a slots parlor at Gettysburg," said Trust President James Lighthizer. "Despite an extravagant marketing campaign by Gettysburg casino proponents, Pennsylvanians remain firmly opposed to a casino so close to America's most historic battlefield."
Madonna said the group that conducted the poll, Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. of Washington, D.C., is a very reputable polling firm. He did say he was surprised to see the word "embarrassing" in the polling question, but said it's safe to say the poll probably reflects the opinions of people in the state accurately.
He said the word was likely chosen to allow opposition to say a large percentage of Pennsylvanians think the project would be embarrassing to the state, potentially influencing the board.
Trust spokesman Jim Campi defended the wording.
"We've been working with Mason-Dixon and they always help us craft the questions in a manner that result in objective answers," Campi said. "We want the truth. We don't engage in push polling and that's what we have here, the truth."
Crossroads has criticized the Trust before for misleading people about the nature and location of the project in order to raise more money. La Torre said this poll is just another example of that.
"Once again the Trust is sadly trying to leverage this project to line its own coffers," La Torre said. "Crossroads has been a windfall for them. They have no concern whatsoever that this is a project that would create 3,000 jobs and help turn around a sagging local economy."
The Trust has said Gettysburg should be a place of quiet contemplation and remembrance and a casino would hinder that.
No Casino Gettysburg, the local opposition group, has said it will turn in more evidence and petitions to the gaming board today. Chairwoman Susan Star Paddock said she believes the opposition has been strong enough in testimony before the board that Crossroads should not get a license.
"We definitely feel an obligation to keep fighting for these petition signers who are counting on us to preserve Gettysburg," Paddock said.
She said there are now 177 Businesses Against the Casino, 62,634 signatures on petitions which include more than 20,563 Pennsylvanians and 6,720 Adams County residents.
"They can continue to pour their money into this but it really is a David and Goliath story," Paddock said. "They are a Goliath with their money and muscle, but we believe the heart of the people is on the side of preserving our national heritage and our family-safe community."
Crossroads representatives will appear before the gaming board for a hearing on Dec. 4 to answer board member questions. They are ready for it, La Torre said.
"The Gaming Control Board has an incredibly complex and demanding job. A poll like this that uses leading words isn't going to have any kind of effect at the end of the day," La Torre said. "The location of our project in a central marketplace and the outpouring of local support makes Crossroads an easy choice and more than worthy of a license."
AT A GLANCE:
The poll was commissioned by the Civil War Preservation Trust, the National Parks Conservation Association, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. A total of 625 voters throughout Pennsylvania were interviewed over the phone between Oct. 18 and 21. The poll also addressed election questions, including the state Senate and governor's race.
Those interviewed were selected by the random variation of the last four digits of telephone numbers with a cross-section of exchanges.
The margin for error, Mason-Dixon said, is plus or minus 4 percent. Here are the two questions pertaining to the casino:
Question: A group of investors has proposed a casino complex with up to 5,000 slots within a mile of Gettysburg battlefield. Do you support or oppose building a casino near the Gettysburg battlefield?
Answers: Support: 22%; Oppose: 64%; Undecided: 14%
Question: Would you consider a casino near a national icon such as the Gettysburg battlefield to be an embarrassment to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, or not?
Answers: Yes: 53%; No: 38%; Not sure: 9%
Eric
By MEG BERNHARDT
Hanover Evening Sun
November 17, 2006
The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board is expected to vote in just 34 days on whether to license a proposed casino near Gettysburg, and opponents to the project are citing evidence of overwhelming citizen opposition as the reason they believe the board should decide against it.
A poll released today by the Civil War Preservation Trust and two other national historic-preservation groups says 64 percent of Pennsylvania's registered voters – and 73 percent in central Pennsylvania – oppose a casino within one mile of the Gettysburg battlefield. It also said 53 percent of registered voters in Pennsylvania and 63 percent in central Pennsylvania would consider a casino near the battlefield to be an embarrassment to Pennsylvania.
With Crossroads Gaming Resort and Spa LP competing with five other applicants for one of two licenses, gaming regulators will be considering many factors, including suitability, potential economic impact, public reaction, highway access, diversity goals and plans for handling compulsive gambling, the spokesman for the board has said.
And in choosing its last shots at Crossroads before the board's vote, the opposition is relying heavily on the public-reaction factor.
G. Terry Madonna, a leading political analyst who is director of the Center for Politics & Public Affairs at Franklin & Marshall College, said the poll is intended to appeal to people who recognize Gettysburg as a shrine. He noted the poll is statewide, which could be a tactic to take a smaller local issue and turn it into a larger one.
"They're trying to get as much public awareness and influence the board as much as they can," Madonna said.
It's a common tactic to hire an independent firm to conduct polls of voter opinion to help lobby public policy, Madonna said.
The first section of the slots law touches on the board's responsibility to the public interest.
Christopher Craig, a top aide to Sen. Vince Fumo, D-Philadelphia, who played a key role in writing the slots law, described it as a clear signal that public support should be considered. It states: "The public interest of the citizens of this Commonwealth and the social effect of gaming shall be taken into consideration in any decision or order made pursuant to this part."
Crossroads has been campaigning heavily for public support in the last year. A group called Pro Casino Adams County has formed, a local Crossroads office was opened, and supportive signs have begun dotting local yards all over the county.
Crossroads spokesman David La Torre said Crossroads will not concede it's lost the battle for public favor and questioned the polling because it had "leading words." Crossroads officials have not seen a copy of the poll but were told some of the results over the phone.
"This poll covers the entire state É many of these people that were polled haven't visited Adams County and they haven't seen the outpouring of support from members of Pro Casino Adams County," La Torre said. "They haven't seen thousands of yard signs, bumper stickers, pins or window signs. They haven't seen a petition with thousands of local signatures."
He estimates there are more than 6,000 local signatures on Pro Casino petitions.
The Civil War Preservation Trust commissioned a similar poll to the one released today last October and found similar results.
"The latest statewide poll confirms what we already knew. Pennsylvanians hate the idea of a slots parlor at Gettysburg," said Trust President James Lighthizer. "Despite an extravagant marketing campaign by Gettysburg casino proponents, Pennsylvanians remain firmly opposed to a casino so close to America's most historic battlefield."
Madonna said the group that conducted the poll, Mason-Dixon Polling & Research Inc. of Washington, D.C., is a very reputable polling firm. He did say he was surprised to see the word "embarrassing" in the polling question, but said it's safe to say the poll probably reflects the opinions of people in the state accurately.
He said the word was likely chosen to allow opposition to say a large percentage of Pennsylvanians think the project would be embarrassing to the state, potentially influencing the board.
Trust spokesman Jim Campi defended the wording.
"We've been working with Mason-Dixon and they always help us craft the questions in a manner that result in objective answers," Campi said. "We want the truth. We don't engage in push polling and that's what we have here, the truth."
Crossroads has criticized the Trust before for misleading people about the nature and location of the project in order to raise more money. La Torre said this poll is just another example of that.
"Once again the Trust is sadly trying to leverage this project to line its own coffers," La Torre said. "Crossroads has been a windfall for them. They have no concern whatsoever that this is a project that would create 3,000 jobs and help turn around a sagging local economy."
The Trust has said Gettysburg should be a place of quiet contemplation and remembrance and a casino would hinder that.
No Casino Gettysburg, the local opposition group, has said it will turn in more evidence and petitions to the gaming board today. Chairwoman Susan Star Paddock said she believes the opposition has been strong enough in testimony before the board that Crossroads should not get a license.
"We definitely feel an obligation to keep fighting for these petition signers who are counting on us to preserve Gettysburg," Paddock said.
She said there are now 177 Businesses Against the Casino, 62,634 signatures on petitions which include more than 20,563 Pennsylvanians and 6,720 Adams County residents.
"They can continue to pour their money into this but it really is a David and Goliath story," Paddock said. "They are a Goliath with their money and muscle, but we believe the heart of the people is on the side of preserving our national heritage and our family-safe community."
Crossroads representatives will appear before the gaming board for a hearing on Dec. 4 to answer board member questions. They are ready for it, La Torre said.
"The Gaming Control Board has an incredibly complex and demanding job. A poll like this that uses leading words isn't going to have any kind of effect at the end of the day," La Torre said. "The location of our project in a central marketplace and the outpouring of local support makes Crossroads an easy choice and more than worthy of a license."
AT A GLANCE:
The poll was commissioned by the Civil War Preservation Trust, the National Parks Conservation Association, and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. A total of 625 voters throughout Pennsylvania were interviewed over the phone between Oct. 18 and 21. The poll also addressed election questions, including the state Senate and governor's race.
Those interviewed were selected by the random variation of the last four digits of telephone numbers with a cross-section of exchanges.
The margin for error, Mason-Dixon said, is plus or minus 4 percent. Here are the two questions pertaining to the casino:
Question: A group of investors has proposed a casino complex with up to 5,000 slots within a mile of Gettysburg battlefield. Do you support or oppose building a casino near the Gettysburg battlefield?
Answers: Support: 22%; Oppose: 64%; Undecided: 14%
Question: Would you consider a casino near a national icon such as the Gettysburg battlefield to be an embarrassment to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, or not?
Answers: Yes: 53%; No: 38%; Not sure: 9%
Eric