Committee formed to advocate 'yes' vote on Cape Girardeau casino

A campaign committee that calls itself "Yes for Gaming" has formed to persuade Cape Girardeau voters that there's no reason to hedge their bets on Election Day, saying a downtown casino would create jobs, bolster tourism and generate millions in annual tax revenue.

The group, which filed its paperwork Thursday with the Missouri Ethics Commission, said it has already collected $4,000 from donations from downtown business owners that it intends to use to get its message out, said the committee's deputy treasurer, Trent Summers.

"We recognized the need to inform citizens of Cape Girardeau and how important a casino would be for this community," said Summers, who is married to Cape Girardeau County Clerk Kara Clark Summers.

The three-person committee is made up of Summers, media consultant Tina Bryan and banker Danny Essner. Summers and Bryan are paid consultants who were approached by Cape Girardeau business owners David Knight and Jim Riley. Both men have a stake in the casino because they have secured land where it would be built on North Main Street.

Essner, executive vice president of Capaha Bank, is a volunteer on the committee. Summers and Bryan said they were contracted employees through the Nov. 2 election but would not reveal their salaries, though they will be made public in October through required campaign disclosure filings with the state.

Essner, who is treasurer of the committee, said the prospect of bringing about 500 jobs, significant tourism and a high level of investment back to the downtown is something the community should wholeheartedly support "because this chance may not come again."

With less than six weeks until the election, the group intends to be on the front lines with a public kickoff by the end of September, ad campaigns, a website and Facebook page, and talks with civic groups.

"We're going to be very visible," Summers said. "We're still working on the details. I can't stress enough how important it is to get the word out and to not only get people to vote yes, but to get a resounding yes vote to send a strong message to the Missouri Gaming Commission."

A resounding yes vote would help the city's chances with the commission, which has to choose between Cape Girardeau, St. Louis and the Kansas City area as the recipient of the state's sole available gaming license.

The casino opposition group, Quality of Life in Cape Girardeau, is led by Doug Austin. Austin said he wasn't surprised a group was formed to support the casino.

"It's a reasonable assumption that there will be folks for it and against it," Austin said.

But he did say he doesn't think paid consultants needed to be hired.

"It seems to me that you should be doing this because you're for or against it," he said. "Not because you're getting paid. We feel strongly that Cape Girardeau is a great place to live without a casino. We don't want a legacy of a gambling boat that requires thousands of people to lose millions of dollars in order for Cape Girardeau to be a success. What kind of legacy is that?"

Four companies want to build a casino in Missouri, with two wanting to build in St. Louis, one in the Kansas City suburb of Sugar Creek and one in Cape Girardeau. A no vote by voters would remove Cape Girardeau from consideration.

smoyers@semissourian.com

388-3642

Pertinent address:

North Main Street, Cape Girardeau, MO