Nash County Officials Say Residents, Not Lawmakers, Should Have Final Say on Casino
The Ogden Nash County Board of Commissioners voted 6-1 this hebdomad inward favour of an ordinance that would petition the res publica for favorable reception to conduct a local referendum on a possible casino should body politic lawmakers legitimatize commercial-grade gambling.
Lawmakers inwards capital of North Carolina are considering legislation that would countenance a single commercial cassino inward triad counties, including Nash, Anson, and Rockingham. Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Berger (R-Rockingham) is spearheading the gaming sweat on the belief that money is flowing compass north to casinos inward neighboring Virginia.
But the closed-door politicking nigh casinos has frustrated many residents inward the deuce-ace counties beingness targeted. Those frustrations are shared by some county officials who say they too are inward the saturnine well-nigh the gambling casino deliberations.
No casino bill has been officially introduced to the General Assembly. Berger is reportedly instead considering tacking the measure onto the legislature’s budget bill, which is at the centre of attention of the extended legislative session.
Nash Demands Voice
The vi Ogden Nash County Commissioners who voted inward favour of a local referendum on a casino should follow allowed their say according to constituents and they, not tell lawmakers, should feature the last say on a casino.
Interstate 95 traverses the county, with Rocky Mount existence a preferred pitstop for motorists. Though Ogden Nash County Commissioners say they haven’t been brought upwardly to velocity nigh the electric current commonwealth of the discussions regarding Berger’s casino bill, Commission Chair Robbie Dwight Filley Davis told the Triangle Business Journal that he attended a meeting “a few months ago” where a gambling casino project targeting Rocky Mount was shown.
Davis says he’s prohibited from detailing which casino developer was behindhand the project and who else tended to(p) the group meeting because he signed a nondisclosure agreement. Stuart Davis says it’s his billet that Nash residents should feature the unequivocal vote.
It testament live a controversial decision. I have got found inward my 21 years of being a commissioner that the fairest way of life of dealing with controversial items to your voters is gift them a chance to be mired with it,” Dwight Filley Davis stated.
The commissioner said he opposes casinos inwards Ogden Nash because the county is already ace of the poorest regions in the body politic and a casino mightiness get things worse. He also believes the people “deserve to feature a voice.”
Nash County can’t support a referendum without say approval. Should tell lawmakers let slow Berger’s greenback and pass casinos inward the county, the referendum ordinance passed past the Ogden Nash County Board of Commissioners this calendar week would tour to Raleigh, where province lawmakers would be lobbied to moot approbatory the statute.
Rocky Mount Support
Though VI of the 7 Ogden Nash County Commissioners want county voters to learn if a casino comes to the area, Berger’s gaming elbow grease has the financial support of at to the lowest degree ace elected official. Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson said last hebdomad that a cassino holiday resort is exactly what the I-95 metropolis needs.
It’s nigh creating this live-work surroundings where people want to go to your location,” Roberson told the Rocky Mount Telegram. “The services, the restaurants, the entertainment, the experiences … that’s really the driver.”
Berger’s visor would require from each one casino to adorn $500 million inward the developing and employ a minimum of 1,750 people.
Nash County Commissioner Marvin Arrington was the lone voter turnout against the cassino referendum. He said only voters inwards the targeted host metropolis should live allowed to weigh in.
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