Virginia Senator Doubles Down on Effort to Block Richmond Casino Referendum Redo

Virginia state Sen. Joe Morrissey (D-Richmond, Petersburg) isn’t gift up his scrap to keep capital of Virginia officials from re-asking metropolis residents to okay a to a greater extent than half-billion dollar bill casino resort.

The Richmond City Council this calendar week passed a value by an 8-1 vote that designates an entity controlled past Urban One, Inc., a Black-focused media conglomerate headquartered inwards Silver Spring, Md., and Churchill Downs as the capital letter city’s preferred casino developer and operator. The ordinance allows RVA Entertainment Holdings, LLC, the combined partnership, to establish a casino resort at 2001 Walmsley Boulevard and 4700 capital of New Jersey Avenue.

But for the $562.5 million gambling casino proposal to gather authorization, metropolis voters must O.K. of the externalise through and through a ballot referendum. The capital of Virginia City Council’s Resolution 2023-R027 initiates the referendum for this November’s election.

It’s the Council’s like to re-ask urban center residents about the cassino programme targeting dry land next to the Duke of Edinburgh William Morris tobacco plant industrial plant on I-95 on the city’s Southside. During the Nov 2021 election, Richmonders narrowly rejected Urban One’s slant — One Casino + Resort — 51-49%.

Morrissey Plays Obstructionist

Supporters of a back referendum believe Urban One’s pitch, which inward 2021 included Peninsula Pacific Entertainment as its partner, failed to in good order put across the benefits the resort hotel would work to the city. Churchill Downs acquired most of Peninsula Pacific’s assets in conclusion twelvemonth for $2.5 billion.

I guess it was miscommunication,” said City Councilor Reva Trammell (D), whose district borders where the One Casino would be built. “We didn’t render up. We’re out thither every twenty-four hours fighting for the casino.”

Officials with Urban One and John Churchill Downs say the casino would bring forth a $30 jillion yearbook tax welfare for Richmond and make thousands of unexampled jobs. But Morrissey believes re-asking capital of Virginia voters nigh the same casino goes against the democratic process.

Morrissey wants to instead move Richmond’s casino opportunity virtually 25 miles southward to Petersburg, another city inwards which his dominion encompasses.

Morrissey is a powerful Democrat who served inwards the House of Delegates from 2008 until 2015 before decent a res publica Senator inwards 2020. He was reelected to the General Assembly inward Nov 2019 despite a slew of scandals, including his practice of law licence beingness revoked just now a yr prior on charges of misconduct. He’s currently amid a nasty divorce, with his married woman levying shout allegations.

Though the 2020 jurisprudence passed inward Old Dominion State that authorised single casino each for v economically struggling cities did non include Petersburg, Morrissey shoemaker's last year convinced the Old Dominion Joint Legislature Audit and Review Commission (JLARC) to fill out a feasibleness consider on allowing a cassino inwards Petersburg. The JLARC review led to the General Assembly inward 2022 including a budget supplying that out of use(p) Richmond from conducting a secondment casino referendum until the JLARC describe was completed.

The contemplate determined that casinos would live profitable inward both capital of Virginia and Petersburg, though each would generate considerably more revenue without the other. Officials with The Cordish Companies, which has pitched a gambling casino plan for Petersburg, say the company is only interested if Richmond does not make a motion forrad with a gaming project.

Budget Impasse

Morrissey and his General Assembly colleagues testament return to the capital of Virginia chapiter later this month to settle a province budget. The longtime lawmaker said after the capital of Virginia City Council voted to run forward with the casino referendum that he testament once again seek to forbid the ballot inquiry through a budget provision.

I testament fare what i tin to make up trusted there’s budget language that prohibits capital of Virginia from getting a casino,” Morrissey declared. “I’m disappointed that capital of Virginia keeps going back, trying to let a referendum. It reminds me of the moving picture ‘Groundhog Day.'”

Richmond’s 2021 gambling casino balloting was stock split among affluent and more impoverished neighborhoods. The balloting northerly of the Saint James River mostly went against the casino, spell voters on the Southside to a greater extent strongly supported the project.

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