Petersburg Casino Bidding Process Scolded by Virginia Senator Who Sponsored Bill

How the Petersburg Campaign casino summons operation played come out has in time another critic inward Virginia Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D-Petersburg), who led the effort to turn over legislation designating the urban center for a cassino license.

The Petersburg City Council cobbler's last hebdomad nem con selected The Cordish Companies as its gaming developer. Cordish and partner David Bruce Ian Douglas Smith Enterprise pitched the metropolis a $1.4 billion mixed-use evolution anchored past a gaming prop called Live! Casino & Hotel Virginia.

Immediately after Midweek evening’s balloting inward which councilors departed the Petersburg Campaign Public Library without explaining the seemingly rushed vote, many critics expressed concerns that the local government failed to properly vet the fistful of applicants before pick Cordish.

During province lobbying efforts inward 2022 to laissez passer legislating allowing the townsfolk to expect voters to approve a casino undertaking, Petersburg selected Cordish as its preferred partner inward the scheme without a request for proposals. State officials utmost yr said if Aird’s Federal Reserve note passed, which it did, Petersburg Campaign must direct a transparent private-enterprise(a) summons process, get hold of input from the public, and librate recommendations made past the town’s financial consultive strong Davenport & Co.

Aird says the council failed to comply with that directive.

Aird Airs Opinions

In a vituperative financial statement issued Fri night, Aird rebuked the Petersburg City Council for deficiency of transparency. She also took issuance with the council saying a alphabetic character it drafted identifying Bally’s Corp. as the winning bidder was only if to satisfy Aird who had allegedly told the council that the cassino Federal Reserve note wouldn’t relocation forwards without a developer inward place.

To have got what was an honest collaboration characterized as ‘demands’ and that actions taken past the council were made under ‘duress’ is a strident and transparent revisionist account aimed at distracting from council’s archetype spirit — as demonstrated inwards previous years — to christen an operator that met their personal priorities while deprioritizing prescribed outcomes for the city,” Aird wrote.

Aird said Petersburg’s precipitous choosing of Cordish “demonstrates the ongoing struggle within the city’s governance.”

Davenport & Co. did say Cordish presented the best adjure based on deuce-ace factors, including financial stability and funding capacity, boilersuit development and investment, and the likelihood that the society would drive home payments to the metropolis on time.

The advisory said Cordish partnering with minority-owned Bruce Adam Smith Enterprise, the real demesne troupe of Virginia aboriginal and NFL Charles Martin Hall of Famer David Bruce Smith, improved the press for the urban center where nearly 8 inward 10 distinguish as Black.

Davenport reported to the council that Bally’s presented a “strong lifestyle proposal” but questioned whether the accompany has the financial wherewithal to construct such a resort hotel after latterly receiving several deferred payment downgrades. Davenport found minuscule issuing with Benjamin Rush Street Gaming’s proposition other than that the adjure didn’t include a hotel or nearly as many amenities as the Cordish and Bally’s pitches.

Davenport said Cordish, Bally’s, and Benjamin Rush were the iii finalists of the smattering of applicants.

City’s Response

Petersburg urban center councilors fired indorse at Aird’s assertions that the local officials once again seemingly picked Cordish without a great deal input from anyone non sitting on the seven-person board. Councilman Marlow Casey Jones (Ward 1) shared his thoughts on social media.

“I’m nearly to recount it ALL!!,” Robert Tyre Jones posted on his Facebook page. “Y’all donjon cerebration city council is shady. You might wanna appear to a higher place and beyond reach!”

City officials said the letter of the alphabet of intent addressed to Bally’s was only to live up to Aird.

“In enjoin to enable the bank note to keep inwards the General Assembly, [Petersburg City] Manager [John Altman Jr.] signed the letter of the alphabet of spirit but returned it only when [to] the original sender (not Bally’s), and council did non officially endorse or officially authorize the metropolis manager to put to death the varsity letter of intent,” the city defended.

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