Referendum on November ballot in West Virgina
November 1, 2008
Voters
in Greenbrier County, W.V., will again be asked to
approve the addition of a casino to the Greenbrier Resort on the November
ballot through a referendum unanimously approved by the Greenbrier County
Commission.
Although
58 percent of voters turned down a similar referendum in 2000, supporters of
the referendum say they believe the steady decline in the local economy could
produce a different outcome this year. Among supporters are the owners of the
Greenbrier Resort, the union (Unite HERE Local 863) representing the Greenbrier’s
employees, and West Virginia’s
largest newspaper, the Charleston Daily Mail.
In a
Sept. 15 editorial, the Mail noted that when voters last turned down a
Greenbrier casino, the economy was booming. But since then, it has declined,
resulting in rising unemployment in Greenbrier
County, which could get
worse if the resort, which has operated nearly $40 million in the red during
the past four years, were forced to declare bankruptcy and shut its door. The
Greenbrier Resort is the county’s largest employer with 1,100
employees.
A
Greenbrier casino would infuse $34 million annually into the local economy, the
Mail said in calling a “Yes” vote on the referendum “the responsible thing to
do.”
As in 2000, most of the
opposition to the casino referendum is coming from local church organizations.
If approved, the casino at the Greenbrier would likely be heavy on table games,
though the West Virginia
legislation in 2001 approved limited installation of video slots.
Did you enjoy this article? Click here to subscribe to the magazine.
