Overwhelming opposition cited among reasons for casinos rejection

[CJDaley]

PA Gaming Control Board Tells Why they Rejected Gettysburg Casino, Cites low income to state, “overwhelming” opposition.

Today the PGCB submitted its reasons for the denial of a license to Crossroads. The PGCB cited five main reasons:

Reasons PGCB rejected Crossroads application

1. No “credible” evidence Crossroads could compete with Charlestown for the MD/DC gamblers.

2. Crossroads promised the smallest economic commitment of all the proposals.

3. If MD legalizes slots, Crossroads would generate the least amount of money to the state.

4. Crossroads would be the last to open, delaying income to the state.

5. “Overwhelming” community opposition based on history and impact on a rural community.

Let's make sure that overwelming opposition continues to save battlefields in the future. Thanks again to everyone who worked so hard to stop the casino!

[Rob Walker]

Re: Overwhelming opposition cited among reasons for casinos rejection

Thats great to hear Chris. Nice to know that we can make a difference by staying on top of these things and making sure the right people hear our opinions and get out letters and e-mails. Great Job!!

[Michael Comer]

Re: Overwhelming opposition cited among reasons for casinos rejection

I wonder which one of those reasons had the most influence? Who knows, if it hadn't been for the "overwhelming community opposition" the powers that be might very well have overlooked the other problems and let the thing go in. We may never know the full impact of the opposition on the decision making process but that's a moot point as long as it was defeated.

[Dignann]

Re: Overwhelming opposition cited among reasons for casinos rejection

If Commissioner Weaver keeps this up, he may be looking for a new job come election time.


Weaver: Slots report bolsters need for inquiry

By MEG BERNHARDT

Hanover Evening Sun
February 10, 2007

Adams County Commissioner Tom Weaver still hopes there will be an investigation into the decision by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to reject a casino proposal near Gettysburg.

He is in the process of gathering information about such an investigation, including which branch of state government would be responsible for leading it.

But after reading the Gaming Control Board's 114-page written opinion released at the end of last week, Weaver believes his case is as strong as ever that there were problems in the process, which could have been tainted by political meddling.

State Rep. Steve Nickol, R-Hanover, said he shares some of Weaver's concerns, based on the structure of the board. Nickol said he was disappointed the board's opinion does not reveal the process by which the decision was reached.

"From the very beginning, I was opposed to the casino," Nickol said. "Even though I was opposed to it, I think it should have been a fair process and there were certainly questions with regard to the process."

In the opinion, the board explained for the first time why it did not award a slots license to the proposed Crossroads Gaming Resort and Spa near routes 30 and 15 in Straban Township.

The board instead gave licenses to the Mount Airy Resort & Casino in Monroe County and Sands Bethworks in Bethlehem. Board members described both as stronger markets for attracting gamblers because they should draw from population centers such as New York and New Jersey.

The law requires a "supermajority" of five members to approve a license. The supermajority must include all four appointees of legislative leaders, plus one appointee of Gov. Ed Rendell.

So any one of those members can prevent a license being issued, and Nickol said that caused him to fear political interference. Deliberations about licenses took place in closed-door sessions, and the votes to give the licenses were unanimous, so it is impossible to tell if anyone threatened a veto. And the board's decision does not explain whether a veto was threatened or how the decisions were made, which only increases suspicion of interference, Nickol said.

Nickol voted against the slots law before it was authorized and said there was little he could do because the decisions have already been made. But if there is a way to change the supermajority requirement or structure of the board, he said he would vote for it.

Weaver's first statements about political meddling were made Dec. 20, the day the gaming board rejected the Crossroads proposal. He cited June comments made by state Sen. Vincent Fumo on a visit to Gettysburg predicting a casino would not be placed here. At the time, Fumo said he did not think Ray Angeli, the Senate's Democratic appointee to the Gaming Control Board, would vote in support of Crossroads. Fumo said his comments were based on conversations he had with Angeli, before his appointment, in which Democratic leaders talked of keeping casinos away from churches, schools and historic landmarks.

Weaver said those types of comments should be enough to warrant an investigation to see if there was political maneuvering because the process should be above reproach.

Since his visit to Gettysburg, Fumo had to resign his post as minority chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee in an unrelated matter. He was indicted Tuesday by federal prosecutors for allegedly defrauding the state Senate and a charity of more than $2 million by using state employees and charity workers for his personal and political benefit. Fumo has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Fumo was a leading architect of the state's slots law and played a direct role in the appointment of Angeli, but his legal counsel has said he did not engage in any "political meddling."

Still, after reading the gaming board's written opinion, Weaver said he now thinks there is more to investigate than just Fumo's comments and political interference related to them. Many of the reasons given there were not based on fact, he said.

The opinion said Crossroads was rejected largely because of fierce public opposition and questions about how many gamblers it would attract.

"The board selectively ignored facts and basically the decision was based on opinion," Weaver said.

For instance, much of the board's concern about Crossroads rested with the possibility that Maryland eventually will legalize slots.

But Weaver said the fact is, there are no slots in Maryland, and the gaming board presented no evidence it had determined how likely slots are or when it could happen.

Weaver was also upset the board's opinion did not mention his testimony, backed by three county planning reports, that the county had determined the location, on busy Route 30, did not interfere with the Gettysburg National Military Park.

And he also took issue with the board's statements about opposition to the project in Adams County. The opposition primarily was led by No Casino Gettysburg, a local grassroots group. It also had the backing of several major national preservation groups.

Weaver had testified to the board that he believes, based on his many years of public service, that the majority of Adams County residents were in favor of Crossroads. And he points out the board never conducted its own survey to determine how much support was in Adams County. Instead, the board based public input on its public-input hearings, petitions and written comments.

"That was a case of nothing more than the gaming board giving the squeakiest wheel the most grease," Weaver said.

State Rep. Dan Moul, R-Conewago Township, said he plans on staying neutral on the issue, although he agrees with Nickol's comments about the structure of the gaming board. Until there is proof of impropriety, though, Moul does not plan on getting involved with claims of political meddling. He has been busy with other matters since taking office last month, he said.

He is co-sponsoring legislation reducing the salaries of gaming board members because he believes they are being too highly compensated for a part-time position. But he does not plan on following up on any changes to the structure of the board. Plus, he said, it's not worth worrying about because the licenses are already determined.

"I don't know that at this stage of the game that you could go back and ask for another panel to review what this panel did," Moul said.

http://www.eveningsun.com/localnews/ci_5201529

Eric

[Dignann]

Re: Overwhelming opposition cited among reasons for casinos rejection

Casino fight secures its place in history

By MEG BERNHARDT

Hanover Evening Sun
March 1, 2007

The battle fought over a failed proposal to build a casino near Gettysburg is now history. Literally.

Ben Neely, the collections manager of the Adams County Historical Society has been gathering items from No Casino Gettysburg and Pro Casino Adams County to document the recent controversy. He will place them in the society's archives for study, and predicts they eventually could become an exhibit.

"There is a lot of emotional response from seeing these items," Neely said. "We will wait for more time to pass before putting it on display."

On Wednesday, he made a trip to Gettysburg Antiques at 15 Baltimore St. to pick up a neon sign that reads "No Casino" and has hung in the window since April 2005.

Tim Flagg, the owner of stained glass and light shop Glass Flagg, volunteered to build the sign. Paddock looked for a shop owner near the downtown square who was willing to hang the sign. Gettysburg antiques owner DiAnne Smith was a passionate No Casino member who volunteered.

The bright sign was pictured in television broadcasts and magazine and newspaper articles, including one Las Vegas gaming industry magazine, said No Casino chairwoman Susan Star Paddock.

For the most part, Smith heard little about her sign until after the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board voted to deny a license to the proposed casino on Dec. 20. Then, those in favor of the casino started coming in and saying she ruined the town, she said.

So she didn't take the sign down until Neely wanted to take it.

Neely is looking for items representing both sides of the debate that are unique and have "enduring historical value."

The society archives contain a collection of items from the Gettysburg Electric Railway, a trolley system once built across the battlefield. It was eventually was taken by the National Park Service by eminent domain and the case went all the way to the Supreme Court, who affirmed the seizure. The trolley system was taken down, and represented the conflict of entrepreneurs and preservationists in much the same way as the casino, Neely said.

The preservation of those artifacts help modern historians understand that controversy, and he hopes the casino artifacts will serve the same function.

The light will be one of the few things in the archive that actually plugs in, Neely said. Most of the society's archives are paper documents – like a manumission paper for the slave Francis Scott Key freed in Gettysburg, or a 1786 map of the town created by James Gettys.

This will be the most modern piece in the collection, he said.

Neon lights are traditionally associated with casinos, which is why Flagg created the light.

"I made it because of the humorous idea of it," Flagg said. "This is a neon sign that says No Casino."

He built the sign by bending straight glass tubes into the shape of letters and then blacking out portions of the tube he did not want to light. He filled the "No" with neon gas to make a red light and "Casino" with argon and mercury to create a bright blue. It took him about two days to build it.

Neely plans to wrap the sign in acid-free foam and place it in a wooden crate for storage. The State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg has also taken some items from the controversy, like T-shirts, bumper stickers and signs to place in their political and social memorabilia archives, Paddock said.

TO DONATE:
Ben Neely is collecting items from the casino controversy for the Adams County Historical Society archives. Call him at (717) 334-4723 ext. 203 if you have items to donate.

http://www.eveningsun.com/localnews/ci_5330760

Eric

[garyjd]

Re: Overwhelming opposition cited among reasons for casinos rejection

I just hope the dust never needs to be brushed off of the "No casino" relics to be used for a future fight.~Gary