Richmond Mulling Legal Recourse After Lawmakers Vote to Block Casino Referendum
Richmond officials in the Old Dominion working capital are threatening legal action against the country after lawmakers passed their 2022-2024 biennium budget with a supplying block Richmond from re-asking urban center residents to sustenance a cassino development.
On Wednesday, the VA General Assembly signed turned on its budget note that lays the funding groundwork for the state’s governance for the next two years. But a tacked-on provision, should Governor Glenn Youngkin (R) mark the disbursement omnibus without amendment, would prevent Richmond from conducting a casino ballot referendum until November of 2023.
Richmond voters narrowly rejected a similar interrogative during the 2021 November election. Nearly 51% of urban center residents expressed opposition to a $565 billion casino holiday resort tar from Black-focused media empire Urban One.
No locality that has been antecedently authorized as an eligible legion metropolis pursuant to § 58.1-4107, Code of Virginia, to deal gambling casino gaming which held a local referendum on November 2, 2021, that failed, shall be eligible to contain a subsequent local referendum until November 2023,” supplying Item 4-8.03#1c inwards the VA budget reads.
The text, which comes on page 615 of the budget bill, would override a capital of Virginia Circuit Court rules of order that said capital of Virginia tin hold on with a arcsecond gaming referendum. Old Dominion is a “Dillon Rule” land where say laws trump local decisions.
Lawsuit Considered
Urban One is hoping to get Richmond’s gambling casino development partner for a indorsement referendum. Though the city hasn’t full committed to the media company, which brought inwards experienced gaming operator Peninsula Pacific Ocean Entertainment for its 2021 presentation, Richmond and Urban One released unified statements on the budget bill’s passage.
“This retroactive budget language seeks to unconstitutionally quash a net Court Order and unsuitably constrain the VA Lottery in fulfilling its regulatory dominance inwards the same personal manner as it has through for other casinos,” the statement from Urban One read. “We testament partner with the City of Richmond, including through litigation, to ensure that the people of Richmond have the net say on what happens inwards their community of interests and that the rein of jurisprudence is protected.”
Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney (D) said the Assembly’s actions “deliberately harm the City of Richmond by denying economical opportunities for its residents.” The mayor went on to say that the metropolis is “assessing our sound options but remain stiff inwards our belief that the citizens of Richmond should non live disfranchised just now months before they would feature the chance to vote.”
People Have Spoken
State Senator Joe Morrissey (D-Richmond), whose legislative dominion encompasses parts of Richmond but more so Petersburg Campaign and the town’s surrounding region southward of the capital, argues Richmonders hold already been afforded the chance to ballot on a casino. And with their resolve existence “no,” he says the say should debate allowing the unused capital of Virginia gaming licence to follow transferred S to Petersburg.
Morrissey says he testament bring out statute law in ahead of time 2023 during the Assembly’s full session yr to measure up Petersburg Campaign as a potentiality cassino innkeeper city. Morrissey’s efforts hold the patronage of Petersburg Campaign Mayor Sam Parham who believes a casino will metamorphose the part and solidify Petersburg Campaign as a leisure and byplay destination for “many decades to come.”
As for capital of Virginia officials considering sound recourse, Morrissey says land it on.
“If he [Stoney] is desirous and wants to fight back in court, fine. It wouldn’t be the first clip that he’s wasted urban center of capital of Virginia monetary resource to fight back a losing battle,” said Morrissey, who lost to Stoney inwards the 2016 Richmond mayoral election.