CITY WILL ROLL DICE ON BOAT IN JUNE

Cape Girardeau voters will decide June 8 whether they want riverboat gambling in their city.

Despite the objections of several residents and the personal opposition of most of the council members, the Cape Girardeau City Council Monday approved a motion to hold a special June election for the gambling measure.

Residents attending Monday's meeting spoke on both sides of the issue.

The Rev. R. Charles Grant of the First Presbyterian Church in Cape Girardeau recommended the council oppose riverboat gambling or take no action and require supporters to gather signatures of 10 percent of the city's registered voters to force an election.

The Rev. John Owen, pastor of the First Baptist Church, echoed Grant's remarks. He said that aside from biblical principles against gambling, there also are societal and economic arguments against the practice.

David Kiper said he is a new resident of the area who moved here from California. He said tourism efforts in California and Hawaii have been very successful without gambling.

The riverboat gambling issue was brought up at the request of Charles P. Hutson, president of Cape Girardeau's Downtown Redevelopment Corp.

Hutson last month sent a letter to the city asking the council to set a special election at the earliest possible date.

The council approved the June 8 special election after a motion by Councilman Melvin Gateley to deny Hutson's request was defeated 4-2.

Councilmen David Limbaugh, Al Spradling III, Doug Richards and Melvin Kasten voted against Gateley's motion. Councilman Mary Wulfers was the lone supporter. Mayor Gene Rhodes didn't attend Monday's meeting.

After Gateley's motion was defeated, he joined the majority of the council in setting a special election for June 8. Wulfers dissented.

Prior to the vote, Joe Low of Cape Girardeau asked that the citizens not be "short circuited" on the issue.

"Let the democratic process work," Low said. "Let the people speak and what they say be the will of this community."

But the Rev. Roy Jones compared riverboat gambling to "fool's gold."

"I look at gambling much like I look at a piece of rock that was given me with gold in it, only to find out it was fool's gold," Jones said. "The gambling industry has a few winners, but for the most part deals losers.

"Is this too fool's gold, where there is promise but no true fulfillment?"

Many of the council members also spoke against gambling and said they voted against the issue that was on the statewide ballot in November.

Although Missouri voters then approved riverboat gambling, municipalities and counties must approve the measure locally if they intend to have a "floating casino."

"This puts the council in a rather interesting dilemma moral as well as legal," said Spradling. "I, for one, am opposed to riverboat gambling.

"I voted against it in November and won't support it on (a local) ballot. But we're not going to win, whatever we do tonight."

Spradling said his "gut reaction" was to let the people decide the issue, but his "second gut reaction" was to let supporters garner enough signatures for a petition initiative.

"My position will be to allow it to go on the ballot," he said. "I will be very outspoken against it. I will not vote for it and will campaign against it.

"I think it's going to be defeated, but it is the job of the people to say they don't want it."

But Wulfers said the issue should be decided through a petition initiative. She said as an elected leader in Cape Girardeau she had an obligation to vote for what she thought was in the city's best interest.

Limbaugh, who said he also voted against the statewide gambling issue, said the purpose of a ballot initiative is to assure there's sufficient citizen interest in a particular issue.

He said the fact that about 51 percent of city voters approved the gambling measure on the November ballot indicates adequate interest.

Limbaugh also said he feared a "backfire effect" from voters who would be angered if the council voted not to place riverboat gambling on the ballot.

Richards said a June election would give both sides of the issue sufficient time to mount their campaigns for and against gambling.

"I believe after a long education process, we will have a clear consensus on this issue," he said.

City Manager J. Ronald Fischer said he didn't think there was ample time to have a special election in March and the issue would conflict with an expected local school bond election if held in April. The next available date for a special election after April is June 8.

The election is expected to cost about $4,000, which officials have said will be paid for by the Downtown Redevelopment Corp.