Bill would give voters power to veto casino

02/24/2005

Patrick Condon, Associated Press
February 24, 2005

Voters in a city targeted for an urban casino would be able to vote it up or down under a bill being pushed by legislators from Bloomington, one of the top sites being considered.

The bill, reviewed Wednesday by a House of Representatives committee, is a potential stumbling block for Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s plan for the state to embark on a casino partnership with three Indian tribes from northern Minnesota. While the governor has said he’d ask any local city council to approve a casino, he’s not yet signed off on a citywide vote.

Bloomington’s Mall of America is seen as a top prospect for a new casino. The mall’s owners, the Canada-based Ghermezian family, are touting a casino as a centerpiece of their $1 billion “Phase II’’ mall development plans.

Rep. Ann Lenczewski, DFL-Bloomington, said her constituents deserve to have a say on a proposal she said would fundamentally alter the city’s character.

“I’m pleading on behalf of my city,’’ Lenczewski, the bill’s chief sponsor, told the House Gaming Division.

Lenczewski contended that Bloomington residents have been “left in the dark’’ on casino talks. The Ghermezians’ casino proposal was made public last week when Lenczewski held a town hall meeting, and it took many residents by surprise, she said.

Pawlenty floated the casino plan last month when he unveiled his proposed 2005-06 budget. The state would get $200 million upfront in a licensing fee from the partner tribes, and then reap $114 million a year. The plan is opposed by southern Minnesota tribes with casinos near the Twin Cities, as well as gambling opponents who don’t want the state to get into the casino business.

The governor’s casino proposal is expected to be unveiled in bill form next week, with Rep. Andy Westerberg, R-Blaine, and Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, as the likely chief sponsors.

Some members of the Gaming Division questioned if it’s proper for voters to make the ultimate decision on a casino site. “Does the state make decisions on where other businesses are located based on voter referenda?’’ asked Rep. Sondra Erickson, R-Princeton.

Lenczewski and other Bloomington lawmakers tried and failed to pass the same bill last year, when Caesars Palace proposed putting a casino at the Mall of America. She said she hoped legislators would rethink it this year, with Pawlenty raising the stakes on the gambling debate.

“It would change our community, I don’t think anybody can deny that,’’ Lenczewski said. “It might be for the better or it might be for the worse, but it would change it.’’