to including an amendment or language granting a referendum on gambling in the Special Session. Â
He stated no other bills will be considered and that the issue should be explored first in summer study committees, “in the daylight” rather than lost in the frenzy to pass a budget. Â Fort Wayne Mayor Tom Henry was in the room during the announcement.
I spoke with Ozzie Mitson, Business & Legislative Affairs Officer for the City and he shared that the City still wants a referendum vote for citizens and will continue to pursue it. Â More on this later including video and photos.
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And our mayor says he is has not made up his mind on this issue! – And I’ve got a bridge in New York City to sell you! Mark my words – IT GETS CRAMMED DOWN OUR THROATS BEFORE HENRY IS VOTED OUT!
Kalb,
what is your beef? You bitch because you do not get a vote on Harrison Square…now you bitch because Henry wants to give you a vote on gaming….make up your mind.
Kevin – Please quote me ONE TIME that I asked for a vote on Harrison Square? I never did! I was against moving the ballpark downtown, but have always been in favor of improving our downtown. I will wait for your reply, anxiously.
John,
So you are against moving the ballpark….but you did not want the chance to vote on it????
Kalb,
How is allowing for a referendum getting it “crammed down your throat?”
Mayor Henry has handled this in a transparent and responsible manner. Will he personally vote for it? Sure he will, but he’s not sidestepping the will of the people like Mayor Richard did on Harrison Square.
I don’t think I would support a casino but I have confidence that the people of Fort Wayne will make the correct decision…
JP – In exactly what way does hiring two organizations to lobby the Indiana House and Senate without telling anyone, being transparent? And I believe paying for such a referendum so it (the referendum) is crammed down our throat, is a waste of tax revenue – Let the proponents pay for the cost and I would not object.
John – Proponents paying for the referendum? Would that really be the best option? If a casino paid for the referendum and then won it, people would be complaining it was rigged. No, allowing anyone but the government, aka taxpayers pay for a referendum is not an option. Besides, just because you’re against it, doesn’t mean that others shouldn’t be given a chance to weigh in. When people weigh in, (a referendum vote) guess what? Someone’s got to pay. This is a democracy and one of the costs of a democracy is the occasional referendum vote which you may or may not agree with. The alternative is no referendum vote and then truly have the issue “crammed down your throat.” Can’t have it both ways.
John,
“In exactly what way does hiring two organizations to lobby the Indiana House and Senate without telling anyone, being transparent?”
I never thought I’d see the day you were quoting propaganda from the JG editorial page. The mayor has consistently said he wanted a referendum. Just because he didn’t draft a press release for the local media outlining exactly what that entails doesn’t mean he wasn’t transparent. What it means is the local media has gotten lazy and wants their news spoon fed to them.
The gist of the matter is that there is no fairer way to determine whether or not this city gets a casino than the one the mayor is proposing. I suppose you can quibble with who pays for it but in the end, as Stephen pointed out, somebody will always be pissed about that…
The state legislature could simply legalize gambling and stop using casinos as part of an economic shell game. Any benefits of gambling would be distributed throughout the state. Not only would this be cheaper than a referendum, it would also save the state on the cost of enforcing gaming laws.
Referenda might be more appropriate for spending projects. It would be interesting to see if the general public really supports the 1% restaurant tax to support future projects.
Isn’t the 1% food&beverage tax only be used by the Coliseum people? Remember they are going to need that money when they add on to the Expo center!
Does everyone remember what happen to all those evil pull-tabs those service clubs had? Gambling is illeagal the excise police said! Now that the State can controll pull0tabs they are everywhere, HMMMM!