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If Mayor Tom Henry had turned around during his testimony to a legislative gaming panel Monday, he might have noticed there was no one there to back him up. A lack of visible, vocal support from Fort Wayne residents for a downtown casino won’t be overlooked by Indiana lawmakers; it shouldn’t be missed by the mayor.
Henry’s appeal to the General Assembly’s Gaming Study Committee was for a citywide referendum vote on casino gambling.
“If upon your recommendation the General Assembly enacts legislation allowing a referendum on legalized casino gaming in Fort Wayne, if our community chooses to support gaming, and if a development meets our conditions, I will pursue it,” read Henry’s prepared statement.
Lawmakers pushed the mayor for a more direct endorsement of a Fort Wayne casino, which Henry once again sidestepped, acknowledging only that he supports residents’ right to have their say in a referendum.
A well-respected agreement among legislators, however, maintains that measures lacking local support won’t be foisted on any community without the support of its lawmakers. Likewise, lack of community support can kill any measure pushed by a legislator. No local lawmakers have taken an active role in seeking a referendum.
All of which leaves Henry standing alone calling for one. On the other side are the Allen County commissioners, prominent local officials such as Allen County Prosecutor Karen Richards and a strong coalition of local pastors and business leaders.
Lack of support and an organized opposition to his effort are just two of Henry’s roadblocks. Some others include:
•Competition from a Steuben County group, which presented a much more unified front in making the case for a countywide referendum on gambling. Officials from Angola, Fremont, Orland and county government pressed for a casino referendum, arguing that the county’s proximity to Interstate 69 and the Indiana Toll Road makes it a prime location for a northeast Indiana gambling venue.
•A Legislative Services Agency report, which suggests that a Fort Wayne casino would siphon money from the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City and the new Hoosier Park Casino in Anderson. Lawmakers are looking for additional tax revenues, not a redistribution of existing ones.
•Kentucky and Ohio are both considering casino licenses. Kentucky Gov. Steven Beshear wants to add slot machines to the state’s race tracks, while Ohio voters on Nov. 3 will consider Issue 3, a measure to amend the state constitution to allow four casinos – one each in Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland and Toledo. If any or all of the efforts succeed, Indiana’s gambling revenues will tumble.
•There is no available casino license. Speculation is that the city of Gary will give up one of its two riverboat casino licenses in favor of a land-based casino, but legislators are mindful of the perception that approving a gambling license for another county amounts to an expansion of gambling. There is a good chance that the Gary license will go elsewhere in Lake County.
The legislative panel, which is also juggling licensing and taxing issues from existing Indiana casinos, did not vote on Henry’s request Monday. It is doubtful that its report to the full General Assembly will include the Fort Wayne recommendation.
Even a non-gambler could recognize the odds are poor on Henry’s bid. The mayor should give up his lone battle and turn his attention to other matters.
