Casino news source: Kent County Times - http://www.kentcountytimes.com/
With casino issue dead, WW looks to future
Tracy Scudder, Daily Times
12/27/2006
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WEST WARWICK - The upcoming New Year will be the year without a casino - at least as far as West Warwick is concerned.
For a little over a decade, the idea of building a casino in West Warwick has lingered. This will be the first year that it has been put to bed.
J. Michael Levesque - casino company Harrah's Entertainment's liaison to West Warwick, and a former mayor of the town - says he ate, drank, and slept the casino issue. It was his job to promote the proposal, which would have seen Harrah's partner with the Narragansett Indian Tribe to build a facility in town.
Casino supporters were finally able to get the issue on the November ballot so the people could decide - the question asked whether the state constitution should be amended to make way for the casino, since gambling operations normally have to be run by the state.
And decide, the people did - they told the state with a roughly two-to-one vote they didn't want a casino.
Levesque said, looking back on things, he could point out three areas where casino supporters could have done things differently and maybe swayed more of the voters into their corner.
"The opposition did a wonderful job muddying the waters. What we saw on the polls was that the biggest concern to Rhode Island was the change in the constitution which they led people to believe was a sacred document that could not be touched unless there was a direct bolt from the blue," said Levesque. "We were too late in pointing out that it had changed 60 times, including when it was changed to allow people to collect jellyfish. We just did not do a good enough job putting that nonsense aside."
He said another challenge supporters faced was when it was announced that Harrah's Entertainment Inc. was facing a potential buyout.
"That is now coming to fruition and I think people were a little confused by that," said Levesque.
He said the third thing casino supporters did not do well with was convincing the people of Rhode Island that the casino would benefit the Town of West Warwick as well as the Narragansett Indian tribe and the state.
"I think John F. Kennedy said it the best. He said success has many fathers and failure is an orphan. I think President Kennedy was right on point," said Levesque. "We had the opportunity. We're grateful for it. The people rejected it and the people spoke. Regardless of what the reason was that the people rejected it, that is our democracy and that is what we have to honor and that is what we have to respect."
He said the casino issue had its turn at the plate and it didn't work out.
"What I feel terrible about is that, to me, this was always about economic development and jobs for the people of West Warwick as well as the tribe. I feel bad that we are going to remain, regardless of what anybody's good intentions are, one of the top-taxed communities in the state with the least ability to do it," said Levesque. "Our whole ambition was to make West Warwick once again the place everybody wanted to live and work and prosper. Unfortunately, even though we gave it our best effort, we fell short of that goal. And for that I feel terrible."
Levesque said his contract with Harrah's ended at the end of November and Harrah's is out of West Warwick.
Council Vice President Peter F. Calci Jr. (D-Ward 5) said Harrah's sent the town a letter stating it appreciated the town's support of the proposed casino project, but, due to the outcome of the election, it did not desire to pursue the project further.
The letter stated, "Harrah's hereby notifies the town ... that it has exercised developer's rights to terminate the development agreement."
As of Nov. 17, Harrah's officially terminated its desire to pursue the project further. The Narragansetts may still pursue a gaming facility, but on their land in Charlestown, according to recent reports.
"Probably for years to come I will be hearing 'should have, could have, would have' from people. Could they have done it differently? Was it doomed from the beginning because of the constitutional issue? My feeling is that people in Rhode Island didn't vote against a casino, they voted against the deal," said Council President Edward A. Giroux (D-Ward 3).
Giroux said he always stressed that the casino was about jobs, reducing property taxes, and getting probably $20 million every year in tax revenue for West Warwick.
"You can't dwell too much on it. Probably a week doesn't go by that, if I engage in conversation with somebody, they will talk about it somewhere either at the local restaurant or gatherings," he said. "That will fade away. But what won't is the looming enormous task of put together a pretty good budget."
Calci said he never gave one moment of consideration to the idea that the proceeds of a casino would be coming into West Warwick, and help "solve or satisfy the financial needs that face West Warwick on a yearly basis."
He said each year the council says it is going to face a difficult budget season, but this coming year seems to be "much, much worse than last year."
Calci said he never considered that the casino would resolve the issue.
"That door has been closed and it is our job to find other doors to open up and make sense of where we are going in town, have some strategies and plan," said Giroux.
He said the town's finances are in pretty good shape, but it is the cost of running the town that is a concern.
"We have a balanced budget but we do have some really huge challenges to try to find out where the funding is going to come from. Obviously, most of it is coming from the taxpayers and we are going to try to get moving on some more economic development issues," said Giroux.
Levesque said the good news about the casino issue is that it put West Warwick in the spotlight internationally - as a site the largest casino company in the world chose for one of its facilities.
"If nothing else, there are other options," he said. "I have been approached by a very, very large developer from New York City that is looking at that site for something totally unrelated to gaming."
Calci said he is looking for the proposed water park in the business park to create a tremendous resurgence in regards to the business park coming to life.
He said there is also another large developer that is looking to come into West Warwick.
"I'm very upbeat that there is another developer with serious consideration that contacted West Warwick and may be the largest single development that West Warwick has ever had," said Calci. |
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