Petersburg On line casino Bidding Course of Scolded by Virginia Senator
How the Petersburg on line casino bidding course of performed out has yet one more critic in Virginia Sen. Lashrecse Aird (D-Petersburg), who led the trouble to move laws designating town for a on line casino license.
Virginia Sen. Lashrecse Aird (in blue) speaks with ballot staff in June 2023. Aird final week criticized the Petersburg Metropolis Council for its seeming lack of transparency in selecting The Cordish Firms as its most well-liked gaming developer. (Picture: AP)
The Petersburg Metropolis Council final week unanimously chosen The Cordish Firms as its gaming developer. Cordish and companion Bruce Smith Enterprise pitched town a $1.4 billion mixed-use growth anchored by a gaming property referred to as Stay! On line casino & Resort Virginia.
Instantly after Wednesday night’s vote during which councilors departed the Petersburg Public Library with out explaining the seemingly rushed vote, many critics expressed considerations that the native authorities didn’t correctly vet the handful of candidates earlier than choosing Cordish.
Throughout state lobbying efforts in 2022 to move laws permitting the city to ask voters to approve a on line casino endeavor, Petersburg chosen Cordish as its most well-liked companion within the scheme with out a request for proposals. State officers final yr stated if Aird’s invoice handed, which it did, Petersburg should conduct a clear aggressive bidding course of, take enter from the general public, and weigh suggestions made by the city’s monetary advisory agency Davenport & Co.
Aird says the council didn’t adjust to that directive.
Aird Airs Opinions
In a scathing assertion issued Friday evening, Aird rebuked the Petersburg Metropolis Council for lack of transparency. She additionally took concern with the council saying a letter it drafted figuring out Bally’s Corp. because the profitable bidder was solely to fulfill Aird who had allegedly instructed the council that the on line casino invoice wouldn’t transfer ahead with out a developer in place.
To have what was an trustworthy collaboration characterised as ‘calls for’ and that actions taken by the council have been made beneath ‘duress’ is a blatant and clear revisionist historical past aimed toward distracting from council’s unique intent — as demonstrated in earlier years — to christen an operator that met their private priorities whereas deprioritizing constructive outcomes for town,” Aird wrote.
Aird stated Petersburg’s abrupt selecting of Cordish “demonstrates the continued wrestle inside the metropolis’s governance.”
Davenport & Co. did say Cordish introduced one of the best bid based mostly on three components, together with monetary stability and funding capability, general growth and funding, and the chance that the corporate would ship funds to town on time.
The advisory stated Cordish partnering with minority-owned Bruce Smith Enterprise, the true property firm of Virginia native and NFL Corridor of Famer Bruce Smith, improved the bid for town the place almost eight in 10 establish as Black.
Davenport reported to the council that Bally’s introduced a “robust life-style proposal” however questioned whether or not the corporate has the monetary wherewithal to assemble such a resort after lately receiving a number of credit score downgrades. Davenport discovered little concern with Rush Avenue Gaming’s proposal apart from that the bid didn’t embrace a lodge or almost as many facilities because the Cordish and Bally’s pitches.
Davenport stated Cordish, Bally’s, and Rush have been the three finalists of the handful of candidates.
Metropolis’s Response
Petersburg metropolis councilors fired again at Aird’s assertions that the native officers once more seemingly picked Cordish with out a lot enter from anybody not sitting on the seven-person board. Councilman Marlow Jones (Ward 1) shared his ideas on social media.
“I’m about to inform it ALL!!,” Jones posted on his Fb web page. “Y’all hold pondering metropolis council is shady. You may wanna look above and past attain!”
Metropolis officers stated the letter of intent addressed to Bally’s was solely to fulfill Aird.
“As a way to allow the invoice to proceed within the Normal Meeting, [Petersburg City] Supervisor [John Altman Jr.] signed the letter of intent however returned it solely [to] the unique sender (not Bally’s), and council didn’t formally endorse or formally authorize town supervisor to execute the letter of intent,” town defended.
