Casino Controversy Forces Officials To Listen

While the City of Norfolk pushes for a casino to be constructed at the Elizabeth River, one neighborhood group is attempting to overturn that decision.

Conceptual rendering and might not replicate the final design. The agency is called Citizens for an Informed Norfolk, and they are hoping to convince the Norfolk City Council to vote towards the proposed online casino.

On Tuesday, they submitted a petition packed with extra than 3,000 signatures, which is sort of 3 instances extra than they needed to start the system.

The City Charter required an amount of 1,250.

Petitioner Jackie Glass stated there needs to be greater clarity and discussion earlier than transferring forward any similarly.

“Most folks are searching at this like, ‘Okay, nicely we should recognize greater earlier than we decide to flat-out move into a tribal casino and pass forward with this deal.'”

The petition requests that the Norfolk City Council initiate an ordinance to repeal the casino ordinance is authorized for the duration of a vote on September 24 after the Pamunkey Indian tribe and the town agreed to increase a resort motel and online casino on city land at Harbor Park.

If the council doesn’t budge on their unique vote or chooses now not to do so, a 3rd petition can be made. If so, the organization may have nine months to gather four,000 signatures. It’s an outcome Glass doesn’t want to look, however, it is one she anticipates.

“I’m going to invite that each one the things be taken into consideration, however, my expectation is that we are going to possibly at the pinnacle of the year be going lower back to get 4,000 signatures to force a referendum,” she stated.

There Is No Agreement Signed

Norfolk Mayor Kenny Alexander reiterated that no agreement has been signed and no land has been offered. He said on the grounds that the beginning, there have been loads of the “incorrect information” spread about the task.

He said they may go forward taking into consideration many various factors, which include environmental effect and transportation studies, “knowing the project may want to exchange because of the market, because of the General Assembly and because of the Bureau of Indian Affairs.”

During the assembly, Alexander did, however, convey forward a resolution creating a committee for gaming. It’s a committee that councilwoman Andria McClellan said she did not recognize approximately till the assembly began.

McClellan has been vocal against the method and became the simplest council member who voted against it in September. “I’m upset that that is the first time that I’m seeing this, I have to say, and I’m not sure why we did not speak this previously,” she said.

Alexander said the committee was mentioned publicly earlier than Tuesday’s assembly and that a citizen was the only one who brought the idea forward. He stated, “The resolution was in absolutely everyone’s folder. Everyone acquired it on the equal time.”

Opposition Of The Technique

Not each person inside the crowd become in opposition to the technique or the online casino and lodge. One gentleman stated, “I am also with complete aid of a potential Pamunkey Casino Resort. This has ended up a present-day day derailment of now not having the online casino or this tribe.”

In a declaration to News three, Spokesman for the Pamunkey Indian Tribe Jay Smith said:

“The Pamunkey Tribe’s dedication to constructing a casino in Norfolk has in no way been more potent, and we’re eager to get started out. We understand that there will be community conferences to higher inform the public approximately this assignment, and we will watch them with the hobby. We stay up for constructing our partnership with Norfolk and our shared vision to build an international-elegance hotel and online casino along the Elizabeth River.

It’s unlucky that Ms. McClellan cherry-picked pieces of the JLARC report that aid her anti-Pamunkey task time table at the same time as quite simply leaving out statistics which might be counter to her function. It is worth noting that many of the JLARC figures cited by using Ms. McClellan are conservative projections and based on commercial operators whilst the Tribe goes to operate their inn and casino in a way in a different way than how business operators will. An example of that is salaries, where our employees can assume to make more at a tribal online casino than they might at a business casino.”

Two public hearings on whether or no longer to sell the land had been set. The first can be December sixteen, and the second could be on December 19.